Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the detention, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.
