Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, the judge said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. His successor was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.
