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

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This included trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of his move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

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

They also requested that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.

The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.

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

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

The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.