Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.
This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.
