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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.

This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".

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

His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of the former president's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

He was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, the capital city.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.