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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The former head of state was sentenced of planning a military coup in September and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

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

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

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

The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, numerous his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.