Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works 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 last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the protesters 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 time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.
