Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.
