Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in September and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
He was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
