The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.
