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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of his move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

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

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.