The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.
This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
