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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in September and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

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

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, the capital city.

The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

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

He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

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