Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control 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 included plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
