Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a armed takeover in September and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
