Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
