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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.

His child, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and return him to office.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.