António Cotrim / Lusa
PJ has detained six members of the Lusitanian Armillary Movement for crimes of infractions related to terrorism, discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence and detention of a prohibited weapon. They would be creating an armed militia that aimed at a “violent change of the rule of law”.
In, the PJ announced, on Tuesday, to have triggered an operation to comply with 15 search and seizure warrants (home and non-home), which culminated in Detention of six people in the act.
The suspicion of the PJ is to be part of the MAL – Lusitanian Armillary Movement; and would be creating a Armed militia, which aimed at a “violent change of the rule of law”.
According to the seizures were stickers of the groups Reconquest and 1143 – The Neonazi Group led by Mario Machado.
Among the detainees, there is an element of PSP, which, according to, is PSP Head of Service Commission at the Lisbon Municipal Police.
Under the operation “3D disarmament” Explosive material of various types, of various firearms were seized, some of which produced through 3D technology, several 3D printers, several dozen ammunition, various white weapons, computer material, among other evidence.
“The investigation resulted from the detection online of indicators of extremist manifestations by apologists of nationalist ideologies and extreme radical and violent right-wing, followers of an antisystem and conspiracy ideologies, which encouraged discrimination, hatred and violence against immigrants and refugees”, Says PJ.
As the public cites, this group utters, in its online groups, hate speech and neo -NaIzi ideology with phrases such as “only ethnic nationalism exists”.
According to the national director of the Judicial Police, Luís Nevesat this moment, “Recruitment of increasingly young layers through the internet”, based on fake news and manipulation.
Detainees are “indicted for the practice of facts framed in the crimes of terrorist infractions, violent change in the rule of law and detention of forbidden weapons” – details to PJ
The court will be present for the first judicial interrogation of argued defendant, this Tuesday.
“The biggest operation ever”
According to PJ, this is the Biggest Operation ever of its kind in Portugalwith hundreds of ammunition, military weapons and explosives seized.
“The quality and diversity of what we seize,” he said Manuela SantosDirector of the National Counter-Terrorism Unit (UnCT) of the Judicial Police, at a press conference of the operation “Disarm 3D”.
“It was surprising” to find in the group this “ability to do something with some projection, with the means they had,” added the PJ leader.
The official did not rule out that “elements of security forces and military forces” involved in the group.
Among the six detainees, one of them was an element of the PSP, there were others links to private security groups.
The widest group includes elements that “belonged to ancient far-right structures that ceased to exist”, such as the new social order, founded by the neonazi Mário Machado.
In a video distributed by the PJ were neo -Nazi books, advertising and 3D printers that served to make weapons or tamper airsoft so that they fired lethal ammunition.
Authorities followed face -to -face meetings in an investigation that began in 2021.
“It’s not easy [investigar]because it is a difficult means to penetrate. This type of individuals is very alert ”for the action of the authorities.
“These are people of many provenances,” united by “discrimination due to the identity of gender, race, creed.”
The pandemic accentuated the activity of evil, as in other referenced “antisystem groups”, admitted Manuela Santas, stressing that “everything turns out to be an argument to counteract the current system”.
