The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
