Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a military coup in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.
