The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
