Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, the capital city.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.
