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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's decision was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year 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 "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.