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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, the capital city.

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

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.