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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.

This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the detention, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's decision was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

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.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also requested that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

He was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

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