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

The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

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

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

He was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.