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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.

This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

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

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

The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.