Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers 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 ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.
