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 planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
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 home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, the capital city.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
