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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.

This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.