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

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's decision was the chance of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

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

At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

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

The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.