Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of his transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to murder the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. His successor was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brasília.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
