Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.
The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. His successor was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.
