Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in September and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was convicted of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, 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 running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
