Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to battle 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."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.
