Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
