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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The ex-president was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's decision was the chance of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was prevented because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, the capital city.

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

The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.