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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.

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

The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, many his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.

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

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

At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.