Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in September and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His child, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
He was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, 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 former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.
