Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a detention review on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.
