Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I invite 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 nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
