Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
