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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.