Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.