Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the detention, the judge said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos 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 his father's house to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.
