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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.