Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.
