Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brasília.
The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
