The former Brazilian president detained after being deemed a risk of fleeing

Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and given more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.

This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

His child, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.

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

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

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.