Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two 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 next presidential race.
