Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which included plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.
