Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice 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 tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
