Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show 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 "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.
