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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.

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

The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.