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

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.

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

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's decision was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a detention review on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

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

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.