The judicial police arrested a man suspected of trying to blackmail the President of the Republic of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in Lisbon this morning. The man, aged between 40 and 50, was at his home when he was arrested by agents from the Judicial Police’s National Counter-Terrorist Unit, ruling out that an organization is behind it. According to the police, the arrested man is also accused of aggravated coercion and possession of weapons.
The man’s record includes previous seizures of weapons and explosives, as well as arrests and jail time. That violent record prompted authorities to take seriously the threats he allegedly directed against the Portuguese head of state last October. Rebelo de Sousa then received a letter containing a bullet, a mobile phone and an ultimatum to deposit one million euros in a bank account to avoid death.
The Portuguese President is a very approachable public office who moves with a discreet security apparatus and who enjoys mass baths, which would make him an easy target. Rebelo de Sousa minimized the threats shortly after receiving them, recalling that he had received more pressure when participating in TV shows. The arrested person will be made available to a judge at the Central Criminal Court this Wednesday.
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