Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.
