Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in September and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success 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 senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the potential of his "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will have a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.
