The Judiciary Police detained three more members of the Hells Angels motorcycle group, increasing to 59 the number of detainees, who begin this Thursday to be heard in the Court of Criminal Investigation of Lisbon.

Official source of the PJ told Lusa that 58 elements were detained in Portugal and one in Germany , through a European arrest warrant.

On Wednesday, at a press conference, the coordinator of the National Unit to Combat Terrorism Manuela Santos said that the police action had been scheduled for some time and that the detainees were indicted for attempted murder, robbery, physical offences and criminal association.

The police coordinator believes that many elements will be held in pre-trial detention, given the seriousness of the crimes for which they are indicted.

Four of the 59 Hells Angels were detained in possession of a firearm.

The Hells Angels group has been in Portugal since 2002 and has since been monitored by the police.

Violent acts that took place in March in Prior Velho, Loures, involved two rival groups of motorcycles, Hells Angels and Red and Gold, and which caused six injuries, of which three were the first violent manifestation of the organization that led PJ to act.

The police operation to dismantle the group also took into account the holding, from 19 to 22 July, of the Motards meeting in Faro, where there could again clashes between the two groups.

The detainees begin to be heard this afternoon by an investigating judge for the enforcement of the coercion measure.