Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and given more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.
