Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of the former president's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.
