Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, 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 support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
