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 orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.
