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

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.

This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

His son, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and return him to office.

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

He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.