Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.
