Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of his move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.
