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

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 prison, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.

This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of the former president's move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.