Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a military coup in September and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a detention review on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces 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 completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.
