Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.
The police intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.
