The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.
