Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
