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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.

This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of the former president's move to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The justices found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.