The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This included attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's decision was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
