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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.

This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of his transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

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

He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.