Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of his transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.
