Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. The current president was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.