The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.
