The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. Lula was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.
