The former Brazilian president arrested after being considered a escape threat
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of his move to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president 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 last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to murder the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
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.