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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

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

The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, the capital city.

The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

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

The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.