Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of his move to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
