The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which included plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
