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

The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

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