Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who works 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 digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.
