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

The former head of state was convicted of planning a armed takeover in last fall and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.

This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, 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 followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that he be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.