Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.
