Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.
