Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.
