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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and given more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.

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

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.