Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in September and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.
