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

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.

This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

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

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.