Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device 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 return of democracy in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.
