Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.
