Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.
