Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the judge said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.
