Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.
