Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of his move to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
