The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the judge said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.
