Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.
