Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.
This included attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.
