Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, the judge said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration 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 judge's ruling was the chance of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.
