Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
