Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
