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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.

This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.

His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles 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 enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

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

The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.