Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and given more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of his move to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience 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 authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.
