The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.
