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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

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

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose strategy, 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 barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.