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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The ex-president was convicted of planning a military coup in September and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

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

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

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.