The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
