Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.
