Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the potential of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.
