Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
