Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.
