The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, the capital city.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.
