The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
