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

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of his move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

He was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.