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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.

This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.

His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

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

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also asked that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.