The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the judge said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to murder Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
