Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations 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, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.
