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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.

This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to struggle 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 nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.