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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.

The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.