The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This included attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.
