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

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.

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

His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.

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

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.

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

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

The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.