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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.

This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

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

International Reactions

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo 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 allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.

The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.