Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
He was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
