The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder 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 supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo 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 Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
