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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

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

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also asked that he be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

He was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. The current president was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.

The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order 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 running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.