Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.
