Aita Ait Aissa, 26, was found unconscious on the roadside near Pechão on March 9, 2024, shortly after being arrested with another Moroccan man following disturbances in two local supermarkets. He was taken to hospital in Faro with serious head injuries before falling into a coma and died weeks later.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses two PSP officers of aggravated kidnapping and qualified homicide, alleging they handcuffed the men, drove them to a rural area, and violently assaulted Aissa. His companion, on the other hand, was released without injuries.
However, Portugal’s criminal police force (PJ) has not ruled out the possibility that Aissa was the victim of a hit-and-run accident – despite the fact that, at the time, investigators on the ground found no signs of braking or vehicle debris. Still, they treated the case as a possible road incident rather than an intentional attack, according to SIC.
What’s certain is that an autopsy later concluded that Aissa’s injuries were caused by “repeated, violent, and concentrated trauma,” pointing to an assault rather than an accident.
As a result, Aissa’s family has filed a civil claim of €1.6 million against the Portuguese state and the two suspended officers, who are awaiting trial.
The case remains under judicial review, with the circumstances of Aissa’s death still the subject of dispute between prosecutors and investigators.
