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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was convicted of planning a military coup in September and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.