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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.

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

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also requested that he be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. Lula was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.

The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.