Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
In a document approving the custody, the judge said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
He was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
