Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in September and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
