Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of the former president's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.
