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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

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

His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also requested that he be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.