Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, many his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.
