Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
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 house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.
