Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday told a judge that medicine-induced paranoia and hallucination caused him to tamper with an electronic ankle monitor, court records showed, a day after police took him into custody out of fear he might flee.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro's detention on Saturday, after more than 100 days of house arrest, citing potential flight risk as the right-wing leader awaits final appeals of his prison sentence for plotting a coup.
In a 30-minute custody hearing on Sunday, Bolsonaro denied any intent to escape or try to remove the ankle monitor.
He attributed his behavior to a mix of anticonvulsant drugs prescribed by different doctors for his chronic hiccups, which led him to imagine there was listening equipment inside the tracking device.
The 70-year-old former president said he was alone during the episode, as the others in his home at the time - his daughter, his older brother and an adviser - were sleeping.
"The witness stated that, around midnight, he tampered with the ankle bracelet, then 'came to his senses' and stopped using the soldering iron, at which point he informed the officers guarding him," according to the court document seen by Reuters.
The judge overseeing Sunday's hearing decided to keep Bolsonaro in police custody, concluding that the officers had followed all applicable laws during the arrest.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro's detention on Saturday, after more than 100 days of house arrest, citing potential flight risk as the right-wing leader awaits final appeals of his prison sentence for plotting a coup.
In a 30-minute custody hearing on Sunday, Bolsonaro denied any intent to escape or try to remove the ankle monitor.
He attributed his behavior to a mix of anticonvulsant drugs prescribed by different doctors for his chronic hiccups, which led him to imagine there was listening equipment inside the tracking device.
The 70-year-old former president said he was alone during the episode, as the others in his home at the time - his daughter, his older brother and an adviser - were sleeping.
"The witness stated that, around midnight, he tampered with the ankle bracelet, then 'came to his senses' and stopped using the soldering iron, at which point he informed the officers guarding him," according to the court document seen by Reuters.
The judge overseeing Sunday's hearing decided to keep Bolsonaro in police custody, concluding that the officers had followed all applicable laws during the arrest.
