Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The former head of state was sentenced of planning a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.
