The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.
