Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning 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 13km from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
