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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.

This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.