Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of the former president's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.
