Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a military coup in September and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
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 home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brasília.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals 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 take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
