Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a military coup in last fall and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brasília.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.
