The former Brazilian president arrested after being deemed a escape threat

Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.