The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio, who holds office 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 social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control 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 Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
