The former Brazilian president arrested after being deemed a escape threat
Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of his transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.