Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of his move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.
