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

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.

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 attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.

His offspring, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's determination was the chance of the former president's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brasília.

The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.