Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.
