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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in last fall and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.

The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.