Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.
