Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.
