Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is facing mounting skepticism after offering a sensational and radically different explanation for why he was caught tampering with his electronic ankle monitor. While previously suggesting he acted out of “curiosity,” the convicted politician now claims a drug-induced “psychotic attack” caused him to believe the device was secretly recording him, prompting him to damage it with a soldering iron.
The controversy comes in the wake of his arrest by federal police at his Brasília residence. Authorities strongly suspected Bolsonaro was preparing a flight attempt, possibly seeking refuge in a foreign embassy to evade the 27-year prison sentence for his role in orchestrating a failed coup. The interference with his tracking equipment, detected days before his arrest, was the catalyst for the police action.
During the custody hearing, the former president mounted a spirited defense, flatly denying any intention of escaping his house arrest. His bizarre testimony detailed how a potent cocktail of medications caused him to suffer acute paranoia and conclude the ankle monitor was, in fact, clandestine spy gear, an explanation political commentators find highly convenient and difficult to believe.