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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was sentenced of planning a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.

The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.