Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, the judge said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.
