Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.
