The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
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 the weekend.
His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brasília.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.
