Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in September and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
