The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.
