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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.

This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.

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

His son wrote on digital networks on last 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 followers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

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

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

Context of Sentencing

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, the capital city.

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

The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.