Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in September and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of his transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.
