Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.
