Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
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.
