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

The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.

This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.

His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that he be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

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

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

The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.