Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device 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 child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of his move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
