Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of his transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.
