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

The ex-president was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

This included attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

He is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brasília.

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

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

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

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

The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.