Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
