Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a armed takeover in September and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
He is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
