Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking 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 "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.
