The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to murder Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.
