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

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.

This included trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His child, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.