The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in September and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This included attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I call on 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 land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.
