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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a military coup in September and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.

This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.

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

The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, many his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.