The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.
