Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of his transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.
