Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the custody, the judge said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
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 sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
