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

The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

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

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.

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

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

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

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.