Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of his transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brasília.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
