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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The ex-president was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.

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

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

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

The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

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