Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in September and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His son, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.
