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

The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a military coup in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

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

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.