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

The ex-president was convicted of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that he be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

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

The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.