Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.
