Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to fight 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 magistrate's ruling was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, 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 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.
