Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on last 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 struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.
