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

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break 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 child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

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 domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

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

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.