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 planning a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of his move to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which included plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited 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 legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.
