Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.
This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
He is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, the capital city.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight 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 competing in the 2026 presidential election.
