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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.

This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of his transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.

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

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

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