Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of the former president's transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.
