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

The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His son, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.

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

But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

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

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.