Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo 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 allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to murder the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. The current president was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
