The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration 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.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months 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 trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.
