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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a military coup in last fall and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.

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

Context of Sentencing

He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

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

The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.