Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in September and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves 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 social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.
