The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of the former president's transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which included plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.
