Bolsonaro Blames Hallucinations for Damaged Ankle Monitor

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro has claimed that a drug-induced “psychotic attack” led him to tamper with the electronic ankle monitor he was required to wear under house arrest. According to his testimony, he believed the device was secretly recording him.
Bolsonaro made the statement during a custody hearing held one day after federal police arrested him at his Brasília residence. Authorities suspected he was preparing to escape to a foreign embassy to avoid beginning a 27-year prison sentence for orchestrating a failed coup.
The 70-year-old denied any plan to flee. He has been confined to his rented mansion since August, awaiting imprisonment following a Supreme Court conviction in September. Days before the arrest, security officials detected signs of interference with his tracking equipment.
Bolsonaro told the court that a combination of a strong painkiller and an antidepressant triggered hallucinations and paranoia, convincing him that his ankle monitor contained a secret listening device. He admitted he used a soldering iron on the device before “snapping out of it.”
Political analysts reacted with scepticism, noting that Bolsonaro had earlier claimed he acted “out of curiosity.” His long-time ally Donald Trump also softened his stance on the former president, offering little more than a lukewarm comment after learning of the arrest.