Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of his "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
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 house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.
