Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro told a judge that a panic episode triggered by medication led him to damage his ankle monitor, believing it contained a hidden microphone.
Bolsonaro was arrested on Saturday after authorities detected tampering with the monitoring equipment. Officials suspected he was preparing to flee into diplomatic protection to avoid starting his 27-year sentence.
The ex-president has been under house arrest since August, following his conviction for leading a coup attempt. He had been expected to be sent to prison soon, and monitoring teams were on alert.
At the hearing, Bolsonaro said two medications—a powerful painkiller and an antidepressant—had caused paranoia and hallucinations. Convinced he was being surveilled, he tried to open the monitor with a soldering iron.
Many political analysts doubted the explanation, noting earlier footage in which he provided a different reason. International reactions, including from former allies, were notably subdued.
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