Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a armed takeover in September and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.
The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
