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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of his "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that he be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was convicted of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brasília.

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

The justices found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.