Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing 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 home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing 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 complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
