Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see 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 offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
