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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.

This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His son, 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 online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that he be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

The police took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.