The former Brazilian president arrested after being deemed a flight risk
Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in September and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His offspring, his son FlĂ¡vio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, BrasĂlia.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
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.