Bolsonaro says psychotic attack led him to tamper with ankle monitor
Bolsonaro says psychotic attack led him to tamper with ankle monitor
Former Brazil president Bolsonaro claims a medication‑driven psychotic episode made him damage his ankle monitor, saying paranoia convinced him the device was bugged.
In a custody hearing on Sunday, Jair Bolsonaro told the court that a substance‑induced psychotic episode drove him to tamper with his electronic ankle monitor, damaging it with a soldering iron after becoming convinced the device was bugged. He described the moment as he fought to understand what he believed to be covert surveillance, a belief he now says arose after starting two medications a few days earlier. The testimony comes as Bolsonaro remains in legal limbo while facing a 27‑year sentence for masterminding a failed coup and as authorities continue to manage the accusations surrounding his movements.
Security officials had detected that the ankle tag used to track Bolsonaro’s movements had been tampered with just after midnight on Friday. This finding preceded a sequence of events that culminated in an arrest order issued by a judge and Bolsonaro’s transfer to a federal police base, where he is being held. The hearing on Sunday focused on Bolsonaro’s narrative of the episode and his insistence that he never intended to flee the country or seek refuge in a foreign embassy.
Bolsonaro attributed the breakdown to paranoia sparked by two medications, described as a powerful analgesic and an antidepressant, which he said he began taking days before the incident. He said the belief the device was listening in or reporting his every move overwhelmed him briefly, prompting him to try to disable the monitor with a hand tool before he “snapped out of it.” He maintained that the scare was a one‑off medical episode rather than a calculated evasion strategy.
The episode echoes past chapters in Bolsonaro’s fraught legal saga, including his time under house arrest since August at his rented Brasília mansion and his previously documented stays at the Hungarian embassy in 2024 for reasons that remain unclear. He is currently awaiting resolution of appeals tied to his conviction for orchestrating a coup attempt and the subsequent plan to begin serving the sentence while those appeals proceed.
Reaction to the claims has been mixed among political observers, with supporters signaling sympathy for a medical crisis argument, while critics question credibility and its impact on the ongoing legal process. The courtroom episode highlights the broader tensions surrounding Brazil’s political crisis and the evolving handling of high‑profile cases in Brasília.
Cover image source: Brazil's Bolsonaro detained for trying to break ankle bracelet and flee 🔗
