The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience 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 serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
