The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.
