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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.

This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering 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 see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.