Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of planning a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.
This included attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.
