The suspect of stealing a computer from a NATO employee to sell to Russia claimed to be the son of Tiago Brandão Rodrigues, former Minister of Education in the government of António Costa.
The 23-year-old young man accused by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of crimes of espionage and violation of state secrets, both in attempted form, will have built a false identity to impress and manipulate people in his close circle, including two young women with whom he had relationships.
According to the indictment issued by the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DCIAP), the accused presented himself as son of Thiago Brandão Rodriguesformer Minister of Education, and said he lived in a luxury area on the South Bank.
According to statements collected during the investigation, the two young women believed the narrative constructed by the suspect, who claimed to have access to circles of power and confidential information. One of the witnesses reported that her boyfriend told her make a living from selling military informationdescribing this scheme as his main source of income. The young woman also stated that she saw the accused count around a thousand euros in cash and heard him say that he received up to 10 thousand euros every fortnight, says the .
The investigation found that, in February 2025, one of the young women ended up unwittingly participate in theft from a computer belonging to a NATO soldier, staying in a hotel in Costa da Caparica. According to a report given to the Public Ministry, the accused asked him to keep the equipment, saying he suspected it contained confidential information related to new weapons.
Given the nature of the crimes in question, the investigation was conducted by the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action, under the direction of prosecutor Rui Cardoso, and the prosecution was led by magistrate Cláudia Oliveira Porto. The Public Prosecutor’s Office requested that the two young women give testimony in court in absence of the defendantalleging emotional vulnerability and the age of the witnesses.
In addition to the accusations of espionage and violation of state secrets, Miguel Rodrigues is also responsible for qualified theft, false declarations, driving without a license and multiple crimes of slanderous reporting.
