Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. The current president was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
