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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

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

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.

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

His son, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

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 asked that he be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. The current president was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.

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

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.