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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.

This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.

His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

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

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brasília.

The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.