Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.
