Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.
