A weekend of frightening reports in the Portuguese and international media has revealed a web of intrigue, firmly linking Portugal to Islamic State.
According to a joint investigation by the Sunday Times and Expresso newspaper, a young Portuguese father-of-four living in London for the past 10 years is believed to be the right-hand man of IS executioner Jihadi John.
Nero Saraiva, 28, and four other young Portuguese are currently wanted by western security services who suspect them of being “involved in the production and distribution of Isis videos showing the beheadings of western hostages in Syria”.
In Portugal, the Attorney General’s office confirmed on Sunday that DCIAP (the department of criminal and penal investigation) was following up “various inquiries to investigate facts related to Islamic State” – one of these being an incident in the Azores where a man was found taking photographs of the American air force base at Lajes on the island of Terceira.
According to Diário de Notícias, the photographs were all destined “for the sites of Islamic State”.
But as these stories rolled out, another report surfaced detailing how Portugal has been used as a ‘safe house’ for radicalised Islamists on their way to fight in Syria.
SIC TV news explained: “They arrived without causing any suspicion on low-cost flights from London to Lisbon, travelling alone with just a travel bag.”
In all, 10 British Muslims are believed to have hidden out in apartments in the suburbs of Lisbon waiting for their connecting flights to Turkey and then on to Syria.
The youngsters’ trips were reportedly organised by Nero Saraiva and his four Portuguese friends who are now all thought to be actively involved with Isis in Syria.
The Sunday Times has spent the last two weeks carrying details of this convoluted story. In the case of Fábio Poças (see: https://stg.portugalresident.com/profile-of-one-of-portugal%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98jihadi-joe%E2%80%99s%E2%80%99), the former student of architecture from Mem Martins, he is understood to be planning a return to Europe “to continue the jihad”.
Currently living with his three wives – including a teenage jihadist bride from Holland – in a town dubbed Little London for the number of residents from the British capital, he is quoted as having told Sábado newspaper that he will come back “with the flag of the tawheed (the black banner associated with Islamists) in one hand and my weapon in the other”.
As the ST points out, Poças’ threat comes as Isis’s chief spokesman Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Adnani has issued a “call for extremists to carry out more terror attacks – similar to the recent Paris atrocities – in ‘Europe and the disbelieving West’”.
Portuguese had “advance information about the beheadings”
But perhaps the most chilling of the weekend’s news centres on the father-of-four Saraiva, born in Angola, raised in Coimbra and radicalised in east London having moved there 10 years ago.
Saraiva appears to have been privy to advance information about the beheading of hostages by Isis, writes the ST.
This is what first sparked security services’ interest in him. Saraiva posted a comment on Twitter last July which “suggested he knew that an American hostage was likely to be murdered”.
“Saravia’s tweet – written 39 days before the beheading of journalist James Foley by Jihadi John – stated: “Message to America, the Islamic State is making a new movie. Thank u for the actors”.
Isis later announced Foley’s death in a YouTube film called “A Message to America”.
Since then, investigators have been aware of other ‘links’ between Saraiva and the black-clad executioner who has featured in all the films introducing the beheadings of Isis prisoners.
Explains the ST, “he appears to have access to a large personal armoury, including firearms similar to those used by Jihadi John”.
Saraiva is also said to be accused of “discussing the supply of weapons to an al-Qaeda linked group in east Africa”.
In other words, he “has an important position, influential inside the organisation, and is not just a foot soldier who went to fight and die in Syria”, a security source confirmed.
Saraiva’s Twitter account features images of his weapons arsenal, including a Glock 19 pistol with an extended magazine, allowing him to fire 33 rounds.
A similar gun, with the extended magazine, is also carried by Jihadi John, confirmed the ST.
Passos says Portugal will not renounce citizenship of Islamic terrorists
As these stories peppered the press both here and abroad, Passos Coelho has stressed that while the government may make “small alterations to the Nationality Law”, it does not intend to renounce citizenship of any Portuguese involved in terrorist activities.
Talking in Trofa on Saturday, he said: “If a national citizen commits an act of terrorism, penal law should apply. We should not be removing nationality for this reason” – although he agreed “of course” that Portugal should be “more rigorous” in the way that it granted nationality.
The “elephant in the room” remains the question as to how many would-be jihadists have already navigated the naturalisation process which is now at pains to become more rigorous.
Certainly, DCIAP (the department of criminal and penal investigation) is actively on the case with its “various” ongoing inquiries.
A statement released by the Attorney General’s office on Sunday said: “These inquiries are now under the Secrecy of Justice.”
Meantime, Jornal de Notícias reports that Portuguese security services are working closely with Spanish counterparts “not just to prevent the transit of people who could have links to Islamic terrorism, but also to try and cut off funding to terrorist groups”.
Already a number of ‘halal’ butchers and convenience stores in Madrid and Barcelona have been located as conduits for money funding the jihad in Syria and Iraq, reports Spain’s El País.
By NATASHA DONN natasha.donn@algarveresident.com
