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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in September and given more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His offspring, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

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

The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brasília.

The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The justices found that the rioters had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

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

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.