Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
