The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.
