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

The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.

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

The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.