Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.
