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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.

This included trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.

His son, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

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

They also asked that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

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

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.