Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the potential of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that he be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
