Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.
