Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.
