Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a government overthrow in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle 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 vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of the former president's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which included plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
