Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.
