Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering 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.
His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.
