The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This included trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the detention, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo 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 allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was convicted of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.
