Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, the legal team called the decades-long 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 2026 national vote.
