Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This included trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax 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.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
