Trial of two PSP officers for killing of Moroccan man begins in Faro on 8 September
Two police officers from Olhão accused of kidnapping and killing Aissa Ait Aissa appear in court on 8 September. Victim died following assaults while handcuffed.
PSP officers from Olhão stand trial for death of Moroccan citizen
The trial of two PSP officers from Olhão, accused of kidnapping and killing a Moroccan citizen, is set to begin on 8 September at Faro Court, confirmed to Lusa by a source close to the case, according to reporting by RTP.
The first session is scheduled for 09h10 and is expected to run throughout the day. Two further hearings are scheduled for 11 and 25 September.
Formal charge in July 2025
The Public Ministry brought charges in July 2025 against the two officers, accusing them of assaults that resulted in the death of Aissa Ait Aissa, following 20 days of hospitalisation in the Intensive Care Unit at Faro Hospital.
The facts date back to March 2024, when the patrol car carrying the accused officers received a report of a disturbance at a supermarket in Olhão. Upon arrival at the scene, the two suspects — Aissa Ait Aissa and Hassan Ait Rahou — had already left the premises. The officers located them at another point in the city and collected images and a copy of Hassan Ait Rahou's documentation.
According to the charge, to which Lusa had access, the two men returned to the supermarket and "displayed highly altered behaviour, due to having previously consumed narcotic substances", opening packaging and consuming its contents inside the store. A customer contacted the police directly, without going through the control centre or 112, and the same officers — on duty from 15h30 to 00h00 — responded to the scene.
Detained without being taken to the station
The officers found the two men in the vicinity of the supermarket, pushed them against the patrol car and handcuffed them with their hands behind their backs. The store manager did not file a complaint, but the accused placed the detainees in the rear of the vehicle without taking them to the police station.
The officers then drove towards Pechão, a locality near Olhão but outside their patrol area, and immobilised the vehicle on a municipal road. There they threw Hassan Ait Rahou — who had meanwhile fallen asleep — to the roadside, and removed Aissa Ait Aissa from the vehicle.
"When outside the vehicle, for reasons not established, the accused, acting in concert, struck Aissa Ait Aissa several times in the head and face," the charge states, adding that at least one of the blows was struck with an object. The victim was handcuffed and, according to the Public Ministry, was unable to defend himself.
Death from brain contusion
Aissa Ait Aissa died on 28 March 2024, approximately 20 days after the assaults, from brain contusion resulting from the blows suffered.
The Public Ministry determined that the officers "acted freely and consciously, well knowing that their conduct was prohibited by criminal law" and "gravely abused" the authority with which they were invested, being aware that their behaviour could cause the victim's death. The two accused are charged with kidnapping and homicide.
Source: RTP