Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.
