Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.
