Evading 27 Years? Bolsonaro Claims Hallucinations, Not Flight, Drove Monitor Interference

Facing a looming 27-year prison sentence for orchestrating a failed coup, Jair Bolsonaro was arrested over suspicions he was planning to flee Brazil. The federal police moved in after detecting interference with the electronic ankle monitor he was required to wear under house arrest, raising fears he would seek refuge in a foreign embassy.
During a custody hearing, the former president vehemently denied any plan to escape the long prison term. He explained the device tampering by claiming a drug-induced “psychotic attack” had convinced him the monitor was secretly recording his conversations, leading him to attempt to disable it.
Political analysts view the hallucination defense with deep cynicism, pointing to his prior, simpler claim of acting “out of curiosity.” His explanation involves a cocktail of a strong painkiller and an antidepressant as the trigger for the paranoid episode.