Portugal Safety and Security Report Wednesday 29^th March 2023

Good morning – The headlines yesterday was the knife attack at the Islamic centre in Lisbon, by a man apparently an Afghan national which left two Portuguese women, Mariana Jadaugy, 24, and Farana Sadrudin, age 49 both who worked at the centre dead and a third person, a teacher ,seriously injured. PSP arrived at the scene within one minute and immobilised the assailant by shooting him the leg, whereupon he was taken to hospital. The incident is being investigated by the Judicial Police Counterterrorism unit. Only an investigation will determine whether this was an act of terrorism and the motivation behind this. We have placed an article concerning the two victims in this report today

The prime minister addressed condolences to the families of the victims, noted the prompt intervention of the PSP and clarified that, so far, “everything indicates that it was an isolated act”, but admits that it is premature to draw conclusions and asks that the conclusions are reached by the authorities. This is as far we are aware unprecedented in Portugal.

Yesterday we reported on a major fire in the Castellón forest Valencia Region which has devastated 4,300 hectares and a perimeter of approximately 50 square kilometre since last Thursday and has forced the evacuation of 1,600 people. This is the first major fire of the year in Spain, and it is not yet clear what could have caused it. According to the Spanish State Meteorological Agency, in the Valencian Community there has been an “average rainfall deficit” of 35% since October 1, 2022, with the last months being classified as “very dry”. In 2022, 493 fires destroyed a record 307,000 hectares of land in Spain.

Temperatures in the area are in the region of 30C, low humidity and difficult terrain, with much on the attack on the fire being undertaken by around 20 aircraft/helicopters – sounds familiar?

Last year during the heatwave this was often the scenario in Portugal, and as a result some of the fires in particular the Serra da Estrela fire continued for several days. When weather conditions become extreme with extremely dry vegetation resulting from drought, fires fanned by high winds can burn with great intensity. This is when they become very dangerous. The technical definition is “that a fire reaching 2000 GJ of released energy (characteristic energy of a severe and difficult to fight fire) Source IPMA.

As you may have seen in addition to the fire risk map we now publish each day the Fire Hazard Index map. This comprises six indices that quantify the effects of fuel moisture and wind on fire behaviour, and indicates the potential intensity and spread of rural fires. It is important to understand this as the more intense a fire becomes the greater the likely spread and the more difficult it becomes to bring the fire under control. In fact at a certain point the use of water from fire hoses, for example, has little effect as it evaporates before reach the flames. It is in these situations that preventive evacuations become necessary well before fires reach populated areas.

We urge everyone living in rural areas particular high risk areas link here: to follow the forecasts DAILY in order to be aware when the risk is very high as it is today in the Algarve or extreme.  Please be aware that at very high risk and above, Authorization is required to burn cut and piled waste, risk levels below this simply require prior registration.

On this theme at the Mediterranean Garden Fair in Silves last weekend we conducted a survey testing people’s awareness of rural fire awareness and preparedness, as well as actions to take in an earthquake or tsunami. The results showed that most key messages are getting through but very few were aware of the difference between “registration” and “authorization” as set out above. Generally speaking it is not wise to undertake burns when the risk is very high and people are discouraged from doing so – hence specific authorisation is required and only given after full consideration of the application and weather conditions.

In the same survey less than half were aware of the deadline for land cleaning which is 30^th April 2023.

When it came to tsunami respondents fared better, but not everyone was aware that the warning of an approaching tsunami is the sudden tide.

News

Suspect in attack at Ismaili Centre is of Afghan nationality and victims are Portuguese

Lisbon, 28 March 2023 (Lusa) – The presumed perpetrator of the attack today at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon is of Afghan nationality, while the two women killed by the alleged suspect are of Portuguese nationality, a police source told Lusa.

The victims, in their 20s and 40s, were inside the Ismaili Centre, on Avenida Lusíada, when a man entered the space with a bladed weapon.

In a statement, the PSP reported that the attack took place at 11:00 am and that it was carried out by “a man armed with a large knife”, with the PSP shooting at the suspect, who is at the Hospital de San Jose, Lisbon.

According to a communiqué from the national directorate of the PSP, the attack “with a bladed weapon” on the Ismaili center was reported to the police at 10:57 am, with the first agents who responded to the occurrence arriving at the scene a minute later.

“The police came across a man armed with a large knife. Orders were given to the attacker to cease the attack, which he disobeyed, advancing towards the policemen, with the knife in his hand”, revealed the PSP, adding that, in the face of this “serious threat”, the agents shot at the attacker, “hitting and neutralizing the aggressor”.

In a statement sent to Lusa, the president of the National Council of the Ismaili Muslim Community, Rahim Firozali, revealed that the attack took place when classes and other activities were taking place at the Ismaili Centre, but said he did not know the motivations of the man who entered the center’s premises armed with a sharp object.

At the moment, investigations by the Judiciary Police are ongoing.

The aggressor was transported to Hospital de São José (Lisbon), where he is being treated for injuries caused by the intervention of the PSP.

A source from the National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEM) contacted by Lusa said that the alert was given at 10:53 am: “There are two dead on record and two seriously injured, one of whom was taken to the Hospital de São José and the other, by own means, to the Hospital of Santa Maria.”

In turn, a source from Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte confirmed that Hospital de Santa Maria received a man who arrived at the unit by his own means. The victim is “in his 30s” and has “slight injuries to his chest” after being stabbed.

In the note released at the end of the morning, the PSP appealed to the serenity and tranquillity of citizens, noting that “the necessary staff were mobilized for the implementation of adequate and urgent security measures”. 

Mariana and Farana – Here are the victims of the attack on the Ismaili Centre

Mariana Jadaugy, 24, and Farana Sadrudin, 49, were identified as the two fatalities in Tuesday’s attack on the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon. The Portuguese women were stabbed by the Afghan man, who entered the room where the English class was taking place, armed with a large knife.

The information is advanced by CNN Portugal, which revealed that Farana was the niece of the diplomatic representative of the Ismaili Imamat in Portugal, Nazim Ahmad, and was also a representative of the Ismaili community in Madrid, in addition to having a degree in Engineering from the Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Setúbal. In addition, she was a member of the Council for Subsidies and Review and Member of the Council for Conciliation and Arbitration for Portugal in the Ismaili Community, and had worked since December 2021 at the FOCUS-Assistance Humanitarian Foundation, where she managed the process of organic integration of refugees.

In turn, Mariana had a degree in Political Sciences and International Relations from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and a master’s degree in the same area, held at the Higher Institute of Economics and Management of the University of Lisbon. The young woman worked as a volunteer at ReFood for a year, in addition to her work at FOCUS.

Both ended up dying on the spot. The attack also injured another teacher, who is in serious condition at Hospital de Santa Maria, in Lisbon. The suspect, who was arrested and shot in the lower limbs by the Public Security Police, was transported to the São José Hospital, where he underwent surgery.P