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

The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

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

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

The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

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

At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.