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

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.

This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of the former president's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

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

The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.