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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.

This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His son, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of the former president's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

He is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

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

They also requested that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.