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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.

This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a document approving the custody, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

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

They also asked that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brasília.

The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

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

He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.