Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He 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 last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
He was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.