Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brasília.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
