Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.
