Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His child, Flรกvio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
He was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.
Rashid Al-Mansoori is a tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering innovations and digital transformations in the Middle East.
