Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the potential of the former president's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.
