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

The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was convicted of heading 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.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.

The police took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and return him to office.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.