The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
