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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in September and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.

This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of the former president's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

He was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.