The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.
His son, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro 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 invite you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
