Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.
