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 convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
