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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.

This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.

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

The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.