Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in September and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president'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 gathering called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to murder the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.
