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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.

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

His son, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also requested that he be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. His successor was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

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

He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.