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

The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.

This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

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

They also asked that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.

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

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.