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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and given more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.

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

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? 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 restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

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

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.