Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. His successor was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.
