Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of his move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 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 competing in the next presidential race.
