Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
He was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The police intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.
