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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.

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

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His child, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

He is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

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

The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.