The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of the former president's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.
