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

The ex-president was convicted of planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This included trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, the capital city.

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

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.