Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.
