The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of the former president's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which included plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
