The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in September and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.