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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a military coup in last fall and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.

This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.

His child, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, the capital city.

The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

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

He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.