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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This included trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success 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 holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo 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 fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

He was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and return him to office.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

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

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