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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

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

His child, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will have a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

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

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.