The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a military coup in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to murder the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.
