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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 former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

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

His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that he be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brasília.

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

The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.