Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
