The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in last fall and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.
His son, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
