Former president Jair Bolsonaro told a judge he only tampered with his ankle monitor because he was suffering from hallucinations triggered by medication, believing the device was secretly recording him.
He made the claim during a Sunday hearing, one day after police arrested him at his Brasília home. Officials feared he was preparing to seek refuge in a foreign embassy to avoid being jailed for his role in a failed coup.
Bolsonaro has been under house arrest for months, and authorities were expecting to transfer him to prison soon. When the device registered signs of sabotage shortly after midnight, police moved quickly.
Bolsonaro said two medications—a painkiller and an antidepressant—caused a sudden bout of paranoia. Believing the device was compromised, he used a soldering tool to pry it open.
Observers reacted with doubt, noting that Bolsonaro had earlier said he tampered with the equipment simply out of curiosity. Former foreign allies also reacted coolly to news of his arrest.