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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

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

His son, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the chance of the former president's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

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

At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.