Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brasília.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
