The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision 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 embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.
