Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a military coup in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which included plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.
