Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of his transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.
