Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.
