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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a document approving the custody, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

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

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, many his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, the capital city.

The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.