Bolsonaro's Desperate Gambit: Former Brazilian President Claims 'Psychotic Attack' Led Him to Interfere with Electronic Ankle Monitor.
In a dramatic turn of events, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro claimed on Sunday that he had suffered a psychotic attack after being administered two new medications, which left him convinced that his electronic ankle monitor was bugged. The 70-year-old's bizarre explanation came during a custody hearing, just hours after he was arrested at his Brasília home amidst concerns he was planning to flee to a foreign embassy.
Bolsonaro alleged that the supposed "attack" led him to take matters into his own hands, using a soldering iron to tamper with the ankle tag being used to track his movements. He claimed to have eventually snapped out of his hallucinations after realizing what he had done.
However, Bolsonaro's account has been met with skepticism by political observers and his detractors, who point out that earlier footage shows him admitting to interfering with the equipment "out of curiosity." The move is seen as a desperate attempt to deflect attention from his own involvement in orchestrating a failed coup, which resulted in a 27-year prison sentence.
The latest development comes as Trump's support for Bolsonaro appears to be waning. The former US president had been backing Bolsonaro in the lead-up to his trial but recently rolled back tariffs on Brazilian goods, seen as a victory for current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro's arrest was made possible by concerns that he was planning to flee to one of Brasília's foreign embassies. The former president had spent two nights sleeping at the Hungarian embassy in 2024 under unclear circumstances. Bolsonaro is now being held at a federal police base, where he will face further questioning about his involvement in the failed coup.
In a dramatic turn of events, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro claimed on Sunday that he had suffered a psychotic attack after being administered two new medications, which left him convinced that his electronic ankle monitor was bugged. The 70-year-old's bizarre explanation came during a custody hearing, just hours after he was arrested at his Brasília home amidst concerns he was planning to flee to a foreign embassy.
Bolsonaro alleged that the supposed "attack" led him to take matters into his own hands, using a soldering iron to tamper with the ankle tag being used to track his movements. He claimed to have eventually snapped out of his hallucinations after realizing what he had done.
However, Bolsonaro's account has been met with skepticism by political observers and his detractors, who point out that earlier footage shows him admitting to interfering with the equipment "out of curiosity." The move is seen as a desperate attempt to deflect attention from his own involvement in orchestrating a failed coup, which resulted in a 27-year prison sentence.
The latest development comes as Trump's support for Bolsonaro appears to be waning. The former US president had been backing Bolsonaro in the lead-up to his trial but recently rolled back tariffs on Brazilian goods, seen as a victory for current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro's arrest was made possible by concerns that he was planning to flee to one of Brasília's foreign embassies. The former president had spent two nights sleeping at the Hungarian embassy in 2024 under unclear circumstances. Bolsonaro is now being held at a federal police base, where he will face further questioning about his involvement in the failed coup.
he's like trying to escape from accountability and it's so sad 
i mean, come on, two meds and suddenly you're paranoid that your ankle monitor is bugged? 
sounds like a script from a bad action movie 
especially with trump's support dwindling... lula da silva must be feeling pretty good about it 
maybe we'll never know now that bolsonaro's ankle monitor drama has taken center stage 
? Trying to say it was a psychotic attack when really it just looks like him trying to spin things out of control. I feel for his family having to deal with this drama, but at the same time, someone needs to take responsibility for their actions 
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. I mean, two nights sleeping at an embassy? What was he even thinking? It's times like these that make me grateful we have people like Lula da Silva at the helm, trying to bring some stability back to our country 
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sounds like a pretty weak excuse if you ask me. i mean, come on bolsonaro, don't try to spin this one either. the fact that he admitted to tampering with the equipment 'out of curiosity' kinda blows his whole story 
. I mean, come on, a psychotic attack? That's just plain old BS 
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️. It's time for him to face the music and take responsibility for his actions. No more dodging, no more spinning 
. He needs to own up to what he did and accept the consequences 
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. like, he's trying to pass off tampering with his ankle monitor as some kind of psychotic episode? come on man, we've seen him admit to messing with it out of curiosity already 
. this is just a desperate attempt to stay relevant, imo 
. and trump's support for him seems like it's fading fast too... lula da silva must be loving every minute of it 
. anyway, bolsonaro's gotta face the music now - 27 years in prison doesn't sound like a bad deal to me 
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. Like, two new meds and suddenly he's convinced his ankle monitor is bugged? That's not a psychotic attack, that's just basic paranoia 
. Lula da Silva is definitely pulling ahead now 
. Anyway, this whole thing just reeks of desperation 
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! This whole "psychotic attack" excuse just sounds like a desperate attempt to cover up for himself 
. I think we should see more concrete evidence before we start feeling sorry for him 
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. I'm not buying it. And now Trump is backing off, that's a big blow for Bolsonaro - maybe someone will finally hold him accountable 
anyway gotta give props to Lula da Silva for keeping it real and rolling back those tariffs, Brazil needs some good vibes rn 
anyway, i feel bad for lula da silva, trump's support has definitely taken a hit... guess that's why they say you can't take the heat and stay in the presidency 
? Anyway, I'm not surprised Trump's backing off, Lula's been doing a great job of keeping Brazil stable and prosperous 
. Let's hope Bolsonaro gets the help he needs (and some basic common sense) 
... this whole 'psychotic attack' thing just seems like another way for Bolsonaro to spin things and avoid accountability. He's trying to distract from his own involvement in that failed coup, but we're not falling for it 
. And now Trump is rolling back those tariffs? It looks like Bolsonaro's getting the cold shoulder from his former ally 
. anyway, glad trump's backing off - lula's got this 
, this guy Bolsonaro is literally getting into more trouble by the minute 
! He's saying it was a psychotic attack 
. And now he's got Trump distancing himself and Lula is looking pretty good 
. Bolsonaro's trying to spin it as a psychotic attack, but let's be real, he knows what he did was wrong. This is a classic case of "desperate measures" leading to a loss of grip on reality 
. We've all been there, where we're so scared or frustrated that we lash out in ways we wouldn't normally consider. The key difference here is that Bolsonaro's actions can have real consequences 