The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.
