Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the custody, the judge said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The police intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.
