Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a military coup in September and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.
