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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the custody, the judge said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.

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

His son, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.

The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.