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

The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

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

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of his transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was convicted of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

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

He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.