The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.
