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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.

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

The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and return him to office.

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

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

The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.