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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a military coup in last fall and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.

This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His son, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? 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 reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also requested that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, many his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

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

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

The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.