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

The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.

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

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.