The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The police intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
