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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The ex-president was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.

His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brasília.

The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.