The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
