The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
