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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

His child, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.

The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. The current president was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, Brasília.

The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.