Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This included trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of his move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brasília.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
