Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. His successor was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The police intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
