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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.

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

His child, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of the former president's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.

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

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 half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

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

They also requested that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

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

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.