Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering 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 nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.
