Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.
