Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting 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.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. His successor was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.
