Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of planning a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of his move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
He was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons 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, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
