BUENOS AIRES
Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro told Federal Police on Wednesday that he accidentally shared a video that appears to cast doubt on the electoral system while he was on medication in the US, according to media reports.
Bolsonaro shared the Facebook post Jan. 10 -- the same day he was discharged from a hospital in the US after suffering intestinal discomfort, said news outlet Poder360.
The video was subsequently deleted while Bolsonaro's defense team insisted the post was accidental.
Bolsonaro spoke to investigators and only answered questions relating to the video.
One of his lawyers, Paulo Cunha Bueno, said the video had been intended to be sent to the WhatsApp messaging platform to watch later, according to Poder360.
Authorities ordered Bolsonaro to testify to federal police, setting a 10-day deadline in connection to riots that occurred Jan. 8 at government buildings, according to a document published by the Supreme Federal Court.
The riots have been described as similar to those in the US in 2020 after then-President Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden.
Brazilian officials opened probes to provide a "complete investigation" around what took place Jan. 8 and lists several potential crimes, including "incitement to crime" against the country’s three powers -- the Planalto Palace, or President's Office, Congress and the Supreme Federal Court.
The document was signed by Justice Alexandre de Moraes who had earlier said Bolsonaro’s hearing is "an indispensable measure towards the complete clarification of the investigated facts."
Bolsonaro returned to Brazil in March after spending three months in the US prior to the inauguration of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva which the document also noted.
In the aftermath of the riots, Lula alleged that Bolsonaro rallied his base on social media and through public speeches, a charge Bolsonaro has denied.
