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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.

This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained 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 Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.