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

The former head of state was sentenced of planning a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the chance of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.

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

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.