The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of the former president's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.