The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of the former president's move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km 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 Donald Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.
