Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.
