Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody 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 September and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.
