Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
