Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in September and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was convicted of orchestrating 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 plan which involved plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.
