The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.
