Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of the former president's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
