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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under home detention 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 involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking 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 offspring.

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

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. The current president was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The police took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.