Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a military coup in September and given more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of his move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers 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 allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.
