Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of the former president's move to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
