BRASILIA – A report from the Penitentiary Administration Secretariat of the Federal District government stated that former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) admitted to using a "soldering iron" to break his electronic ankle monitor and pointed out that the device had burns all around its circumference.

“I put a hot iron on it. Just curious. (...) A soldering iron,” Bolsonaro told a policewoman. The former president also stated that he did not try to break the bracelet. “I didn’t break the bracelet. Everything’s fine.”

The document states that a violation of the ankle monitor was detected at 00:07 this Saturday, the 22nd. The monitoring system of the ankle monitor immediately alerted the team of prison officers who were escorting the former president's residence.

“The initial information received by the escorts was that the monitored individual had hit the device on the stairs. When this police officer arrived at the scene, access was quickly granted by the defendant himself. After entry was authorized, we sought a space with good lighting and electricity, which was available in the main room of the building. Contrary to what had been initially reported, the ankle monitor did not show signs of impact from the stairs,” says the report signed by correctional officer Rita Gaio, deputy director of the monitoring center.

Next, upon examining the ankle monitor, she verified the existence of burns on the device . “The equipment had clear and significant signs of damage. There were burn marks all around its circumference, at the point where the case attaches/closes,” the document states.

The team then questioned Bolsonaro about the device malfunction. His response was recorded in the report."In response, he stated that he used a soldering iron to try to open the equipment," the document says. The team also recorded a video of the malfunction and the former president's response.