The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a military coup in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break 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 son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.
