The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
