The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in September and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.
