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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was found guilty of planning a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a document approving the detention, the judge said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of his move to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.