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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.

This included trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence 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 getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that he be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.

The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.