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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a military coup in last fall and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.

His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The justices found that the rioters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

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

The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.