Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. His successor was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
