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

The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.

This included trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of his move to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.