Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of his "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged 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 barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.
