Former president Jair Bolsonaro claimed that a sudden “psychotic attack” caused by medication pushed him to damage his electronic monitoring bracelet, believing it was secretly recording him.
His assertion came one day after he was arrested at home, where he has been living under house arrest awaiting imprisonment for attempting to engineer a coup. Authorities acted after detecting interference with the device tracking him.
Bolsonaro has been under close surveillance since his September conviction by the Supreme Court. When security systems flagged the tampering shortly after midnight on Friday, a judge quickly ordered his arrest.
During Sunday’s hearing, Bolsonaro said he had recently begun taking two medications—a strong painkiller and an antidepressant—that triggered paranoia and hallucinations. He described using a soldering iron on the device before regaining clarity.
Political figures and observers expressed doubt, pointing to his earlier comment that he acted “out of curiosity.” International allies also offered subdued reactions, signaling that support for Bolsonaro may be fading.