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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

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

The judges 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 time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.