Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.
