Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.
This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a plot 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 had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.
