Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of the former president's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
