Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to battle 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."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.
