Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a armed takeover in last fall and given more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.
