Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.
