Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.
