The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of his move to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo 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 authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.
