Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of his move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.
