Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of the former president's move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
