Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of his move to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.
