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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a military coup in last fall and given more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

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

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which included plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.