Judiciary Police detain 43-year-old man suspected of aiding Vale de Judeus escape
The Judiciary Police detained a Portuguese man aged 43 suspected of having aided the escape of five inmates from Vale de Judeus prison in September 2024. Operation "Sapatada" involved 70 investigators and resulted in 25 suspects.
Operation "Sapatada" leads to detention of suspect linked to Vale de Judeus escape
The Judiciary Police (PJ) detained on Tuesday a 43-year-old man of Portuguese nationality, suspected of the crimes of possession of a prohibited weapon and prisoner removal, as part of the investigation into the escape of five inmates from Vale de Judeus Prison, which occurred on 7 September 2024. The detention took place in the Greater Lisbon area, according to a statement sent to newsrooms by the PJ and cited by Público.
The operation, named "Sapatada" and conducted by the Central Section for Combating Banditry, involved 70 PJ investigators, the majority belonging to the National Counter-Terrorism Unit. In the course of the operation, seven house searches were carried out and 25 suspects were constituted.
The detainee is to be presented on Wednesday "to the competent judicial authority for first judicial interrogation and possible application of coercive measures deemed appropriate", according to the same statement.
During the proceedings, two vehicles were seized, two automatic weapons of the Kalashnikov type, numerous munitions of various calibres, electronic equipment capable of interfering with radio communications, mobile phones, GPS signals and other transmission systems, two military radios, two tactical helmets, a ballistic vest and a press for reloading ammunition.
The PJ also seized "approximately 32,500 euros in cash" and other documents and objects with "manifest evidentiary relevance" to the investigation.
The five inmates who escaped from Vale de Judeus in September 2024 were recaptured between 6 October 2024 and 6 February 2025.
Source: Público