The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in September and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to murder Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.
