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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in September and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.