The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.
