Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His child, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.
