The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
