Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which included plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, the capital city.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.
