Jair Bolsonaro claimed in court that medication side effects caused him to believe his ankle monitor was bugged, prompting him to tamper with it.
His arrest early Saturday came after a system alert indicated the device had been damaged. Authorities feared he was preparing to flee under diplomatic protection.
Bolsonaro has been living under house arrest since being convicted of attempting a coup. His 27-year sentence was expected to begin soon, and monitoring teams were on high alert.
During the hearing, Bolsonaro said two medications triggered hallucinations and paranoia. Under this delusion, he used a heated tool to interfere with the device.
Analysts questioned the authenticity of his claim, noting previous footage where he admitted acting out of curiosity. International reactions were noticeably subdued.
