Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the judge said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.
