Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a military coup in September and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
He was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.
