Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.
