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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This included trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, the capital city.

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

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

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