Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a detention review on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.
