Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a military coup in last fall and given more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.
