Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.
