The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the detention, the judge said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control 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 assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
