Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
