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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a military coup in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray 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 possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.

The police took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.