Suspects in the death of a young man in Fatima are represented by the People’s Republic of China

The Judicial Court of Santarem this Friday decided on the measure of compulsion to present the GNR to two suspects in the death of a man in Fatima, a source in the Judicial Police (PJ) told Lusa.

The PS announced that it had arrested two men and charged 13 others following a police operation following events in Fatima which left a 26-year-old man dead in the early hours of the 2nd.

After being presented to the criminal investigation judge this Friday afternoon in the Santarem court, the suspects were subjected to a certain measure of coercion: they presented themselves “every other day” at the PNP post closest to their place of residence, the SP said.

The police operation, dubbed Operation Themis, took place on Thursday. During the investigation, search warrants and two arrest warrants were issued on suspicion of murder, possession of a prohibited weapon and participation in a fight.

During the investigation, carried out by the Department of Leiria SP, with the support of representatives of the Board of Directors of the Center, the Armament and Security Department and experts from the Scientific Police, several house searches were carried out and two suspects were detained, linked to the murder and in which Timorese citizens would be involved.

A further 13 men were named as defendants, in addition to two detainees charged with their involvement in the fight, with their respective interrogations and identification and living conditions established.

“The violence involved two opposing groups and is estimated to have involved dozens of elements, all men, who used bladed weapons, iron bars, clubs and other instruments of aggression,” PJ said in a press release.

The police operation took place entirely in Fátima, a PJ source told Lusa, despite the fact that there were “participants in the feud who had moved from Lisbon” to the scene of the incident.

The attacks killed a 26-year-old man and injured at least five people aged 22 to 27.

The SP also collected “relevant evidence as well as several statements and witness statements related to the situation.”

“This investigation and the subsequent operation emphasizes the support from the first hour of the Santarém territorial command of the GNA through the Tomar detachment,” the SP emphasized.

In Dili, Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta apologized to the Portuguese and demanded that justice be harsh for those responsible for the murder, and also proposed that the perpetrators’ visas be revoked and deported to Timor-Leste. .

Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has called on young Timorese living in the country and in the diaspora to stop practicing “so-called” martial arts and rituals.

The events at Fatima were also criticized by the Timorese Episcopal Conference and the Revolutionary Front for Independent Timor-Leste (Fretilin), the leader of the opposition.

Justice Minister Rita Alarcan Giudice said during a visit to Dili that the Timorese were “welcome to Portugal” and added that the clashes recorded in Fatima were treated as “any incident that happens”, regardless of nationality.

In November 2023, the Timorese government suspended the teaching and practice of martial arts, taking into account serious incidents recorded in the country.

Fatima Parish Council President Humberto Silva expressed concern about the lack of security following the immigrant’s death.

“I worry. We are a tourist city, tourists [que] come to Fatima and the pilgrims [que] They come to Fatima, they like the peace and quiet, they feel good here,” Humberto Silva told Lusa, expressing concern about “these riots, these conflicts between gangs, between migrant groups.”