Son of immigrant planned to ‘place bombs in Lisbon mosque’
In the first case of its kind in Portugal, a teenage boy, ‘under the age of 16’, has been convicted for terrorism.
The youngster has been placed in an ‘educational centre’, reports news channel NOW, which says that it has been almost impossible to get details of this case/ how long the boy is expected to remain interned, very possibly due to the boy’s age.
What is clear is that he has been considered so ‘radicalised’ by extreme-right-wing ideology, that a judge believes he should be taken out of society.
According to a report in Correio da Manhã, PJ police came to the conclusion that “the process of radicalisation took place in the solitude of the (boy’s) bedroom, in front of a computer screen” where he accessed “several sites of the extreme right”
Police tried to determine whether any third parties were involved in the boy’s radicalisation, but decided there were none.
This case appears to have begun following complaints from the Lisbon Mosque that it had started receiving hate mail, including bomb threats.
An investigation by the counter-terrorism unit of the PJ quickly identified the author of the email campaign – and were surprised to discover that he was not only a minor, but the son of an immigrant mother, says CM.
The boy’s messages of hatred were directed at Muslims, and immigrants, the paper adds.
The case then moved under the ‘Lei Titular Educativa’ – a law that applies to minors aged between 12 – 16 accused of committing crimes – and, initially, the boy was freed, because of his age.
“However, days after questioning in court, the youngster “was found to have published parts of the case on the Internet, with jocular remarks towards the police and the courts”. This “led the judge to reverse the first decision and order (the boy’s) internment in an educational centre, for what period of time, remains unclear.
Source: Correio da Manhã/ executivedigest.sapo.pt
