Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.
This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to battle 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 decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
