The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
