Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of his transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
