Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
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 house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.
