Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.
This included trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
