Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.
