The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
