Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's decision was the potential of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.
