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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.

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

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His child, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of his move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which included plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brasília.

The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.