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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and given more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.

This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brasília.

The police took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.