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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 sentenced of planning a military coup in September and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

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

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray 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 "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

He is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which included plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.

The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

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

The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.