The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to murder the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
