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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in September and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

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

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, the capital city.

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

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.