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

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.

This included attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His child, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of his move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.

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

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.