Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
