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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in last fall and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.

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

The senator wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, the capital city.

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

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.