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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.

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

This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a document approving the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.

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

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that he be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was prevented because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.

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

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.