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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His son, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.

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

The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and return him to office.

At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.