Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. The current president was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years 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 presidential election.
