The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.
