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

The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This included attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.

His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also asked that he be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

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

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.