Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in September and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.
