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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, the judge said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break 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 son.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brasília.

The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.