Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a military coup in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under home detention 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 included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.
