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

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.

This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

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

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. His successor was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brasília.

The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.