The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the custody, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.
