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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.

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

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to battle 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 country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's determination was the chance of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.

The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.