The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.
His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
