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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.

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

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

His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

He is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

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

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.

The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

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

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.