Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.
