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

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.

This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, the judge said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

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

His child, 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 Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of his move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

He was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.