Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of his move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
