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

The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in last fall and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment 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 serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.

The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.