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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.

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

His son, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

He is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, the capital city.

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

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.