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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.

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

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices found that the rioters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

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