Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
