The former Brazilian president detained after being declared a escape threat

Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.

This included attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.

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

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

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

He is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.

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

He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.