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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a military coup in September and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a document approving the custody, the judge said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His child, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.