Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.
