Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house 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 phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of his move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. His successor was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight 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 presidential election.
