The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.
