Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
