Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of his transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
He is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
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 home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability 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 seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
