Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of his move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which included plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
