Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brasília.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
