Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
