The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a military coup in September and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.
