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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.

His son, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

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

They also requested that he be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

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

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.