Portuguese investigators have dismissed the terrorist trail after a stabbing attack Tuesday at a Shiite Muslim center in Lisbon that left two dead and one seriously injured, National Director of the Judicial Police Luis Neves said on Wednesday.
"There is no indication that this is a terrorist attack" or a "radicalization" of the suspect, said Mr. Neves, adding that all the clues "seem to show that it is a common law crime".
"What may be in question here, but only a psychiatric evaluation can determine it, is that it is a psychotic crisis", he detailed, specifying that the investigation was continuing.
According to several testimonies, the suspect, an Afghan refugee, was taking language lessons Tuesday morning in an Ismaili center, a Shiite Muslim community. His demeanor changed after receiving a phone call.
Armed with a large knife, he first seriously injured a teacher, before killing two women employed in this center and being quickly neutralized by the police who used a firearm. The man is currently hospitalized in the Portuguese capital.
The public prosecutor announced the opening of an investigation. The suspect should not "be able to be presented to a judge before ten days", specified the director of the judicial police.
According to the first elements of the investigation, it is an "isolated act" but the motivations have yet to be clarified, Interior Minister José Luis Carneiro said on Tuesday.
Investigators have managed to trace the suspect's route from his country of origin to his arrival in Greece, where his wife died in a fire. The alleged perpetrator, a father of three children aged 4 to 9, had arrived in Portugal in 2021. He planned to travel to Germany in the coming days with his children, according to Mr Neves.
The suspect was worried about the fate of his children, according to Portuguese media which revealed a video recorded two years ago and published on social networks.
Targeted by the attack, the community of Shia Ismaili Muslims established its world headquarters in Lisbon and its spiritual leader, the Aga Khan, obtained Portuguese nationality in 2019.
The Ismailis, a minority current of Shiite Islam, form a community of 12 to 15 million people spread over some thirty countries. They have about 8,000 members in Portugal.
29/03/2023 18:10:36 - Lisbon (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
