Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the demonstrators 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 time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.
