Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
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 backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. His successor was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.
