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 convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.
