Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
