Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.
