Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, the judge said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, many his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The police intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
