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

The former head of state was sentenced of planning a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator 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 settee? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

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 tracking devices.

They also requested that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

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

The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 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 running in the next presidential race.