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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that he be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

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

The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

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