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

The ex-president was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.

This included trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

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

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the following 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 serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also asked that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

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

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

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