The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being declared a flight risk
Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of his move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.