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

The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

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

Recent Legal Requests

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

They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.