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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in September and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".

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

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also asked that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brasília.

The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.