Bolsonaro Admits to Tampering with Electronic Bracelet, Citing “Paranoia” and “Hallucinations“
Brasília, Brazil – Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro confessed to using a soldering iron on his electronic monitoring bracelet, claiming he believed the device contained a listening mechanism, according to a Supreme Court document obtained by AFP. The admission comes after Bolsonaro, 70, was taken into federal police custody in Brasília on Saturday for inspection.
Bolsonaro, sentenced in September to 27 years in prison for attempting to subvert the 2022 election results and prevent the return to power of his political rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had been under house arrest and electronic surveillance as August as part of an investigation into obstruction of justice.
The former far-right leader (2019-2022) explained he experienced “a certain paranoia between Friday and Saturday due to the medication” and subsequently “decided,with a soldering iron,to manipulate the electronic bracelet,” the Court document states. During a Sunday hearing, Bolsonaro claimed to have had “hallucinations” regarding a listening device within the bracelet.
he further stated he had “no intention of fleeing” and that the bracelet’s strap remained unbroken.Bolsonaro also recounted spending much of Friday afternoon attempting to open the bracelet before “coming back to his senses” around midnight and ceasing his efforts. A police video of Saturday’s inspection shows Bolsonaro admitting to attacking the device out of “curiosity.”
Bolsonaro was recently arrested at the request of a judge seeking to prevent a potential “leak” while under house arrest.