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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The former head of state was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.

His child, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of his move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and return him to office.

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

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

The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.