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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.

This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His son, Flávio, who works as a legislator, 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: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brasília.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

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

He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

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