Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.
