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

The ex-president was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.

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

This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".

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

His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which included plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president 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 unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.