Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the detention, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
