Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brasília.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.
