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

The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.

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

The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that he be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

He was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to murder the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.