Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will have a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.
