Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His son, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
