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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.

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

His son, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

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

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

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

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