Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
