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

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

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

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

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

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

The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.