Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of his move to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
