The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.