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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His offspring, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device 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 land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.

The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.