Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.
