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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, 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 physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.

The judges 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, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.