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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.

This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.

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

His child, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brasília.

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

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

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

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