The former Brazilian president arrested after being deemed a risk of fleeing

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

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and given more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. His successor was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.