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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which included plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.