Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
