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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

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

His offspring, Flávio, who holds office 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 digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building 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 permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.

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

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, the capital city.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

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

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

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