Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.
