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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His son, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's decision was the potential of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.