Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.
This included trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
