Following his Supreme Court conviction and sentencing, former President Jair Bolsonaro was arrested after being caught tampering with his electronic ankle monitor. Federal police suspected he was preparing to flee the country to avoid his 27-year sentence for orchestrating a failed coup, an action prompted by the discovery of interference with the tracking equipment.
In a custody hearing, Bolsonaro denied the escape plot, instead offering a controversial defense: a “psychotic attack” triggered by a mix of a strong painkiller and an antidepressant. He testified that this episode caused hallucinations and paranoia, making him believe the monitor was a secret listening device.
Political observers are highly skeptical of this dramatic narrative, especially since it contradicts his earlier, much simpler explanation of acting “out of curiosity.” He admitted to using a soldering iron on the device before recovering from the episode.