Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.
