Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. His successor was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, the capital city.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.
