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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

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

His son wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

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

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

He was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.

The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

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

He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.