Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the potential of his move to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.
