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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the custody, the judge said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.

His child, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.

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

Context of Sentencing

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

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

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

At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.