Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
