Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a military coup in September and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
