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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the custody, the judge said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

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

His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that he be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was convicted of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

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

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.