Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in September and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
He was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
