Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The police intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
