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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the custody, the judge said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.