Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a government overthrow in September and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest 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 protest called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio, 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: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
