The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.
This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public 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 designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
