The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.
