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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.

This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.

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

His son wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

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

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.

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

He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

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