Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro told a judge he was hallucinating when he damaged his electronic ankle monitor, believing the device was secretly listening to him.
The statement followed his arrest on Saturday morning, when federal police took him into custody after detecting tampering with the device used to track him under house arrest. Authorities feared he was preparing an escape.
Bolsonaro has been awaiting imprisonment since his conviction for leading a failed coup. With appeals winding down, officials were on high alert for any sign he might seek refuge in a foreign embassy.
During his hearing, Bolsonaro claimed that a new medication regimen had triggered paranoia. He described using a soldering iron to pry into the device before realizing what he was doing.
His explanation faced immediate scrutiny, as footage from earlier that day showed him telling a guard he acted “out of curiosity.” Reactions from international figures, including past allies, were noticeably restrained.