Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of the former president's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.
