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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.

This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

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

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.

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

He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.