The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
