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

The former head of state was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

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

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

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

He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

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

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.