Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.
