Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.
This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.
