Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of his transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.
