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

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.

This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

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

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

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

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

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.