Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
He was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.
