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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The police took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.