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More than 11,000 EU citizens have been repatriated from the Middle East since the start of the war initiated by Israel and the United States against Iran, including Portuguese nationals, the European Commission announced today.
Lisbon authorities have repatriated around 500 nationals from the Middle East following attacks on Iran, and the 73 Portuguese on a cruise in Dubai have also started to leave this Saturday. The cruise passengers were held on the ship for a week and are now departing with commercial flights arranged by the shipping company, a process monitored by the Portuguese government, despite complaints about a lack of contact from authorities. Emídio Sousa, Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities, stated that the Portuguese ambassador visited the ship and spoke with half of the passengers, while acknowledging that some may not have been contacted. The Dubai airport has resumed operations after a brief suspension, and the situation continues to evolve amid ongoing conflict in the region.
Portugal has already repatriated 500 citizens from the Middle East. Authorities in Lisbon have brought back around 500 nationals following the attacks on Iran, with 73 Portuguese on a cruise in Dubai also starting to leave today. Passengers were held on the ship for a week and are now departing, with commercial flights arranged by the cruise company, a process monitored by the Portuguese government despite complaints about lack of contact from authorities. Emídio Sousa, Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities, stated that the ambassador visited the ship and spoke with half of the Portuguese passengers. He acknowledged that while some may not have been contacted, the group as a whole was kept informed. The Dubai airport has resumed operations after a brief suspension. Meanwhile, the UAE Defence Ministry reported intercepting 15 ballistic missiles and 119 drones. Trump announced that Iran would face a strong attack today, marking a week since the US and Israel began military operations against Tehran. He noted Iran's apology to its neighbours but rejected unconditional surrender. The Iranian president, in turn, refused the surrender demand, calling it a “dream to take to the grave” but apologised for recent attacks on non-military targets in the region, attributing them to communication failures. Amidst the conflict, Iran attacked a tanker in the Persian Gulf, and the US has approved new arms sales to Israel, warning of intensified bombings.
Former nurse Mariana Fonseca, sentenced to 23 years in prison for the murder of an IT worker in 2020 in the Algarve, was captured by Interpol in Jakarta, Indonesia, after months on the run. The Judicial Police announced that an international arrest warrant was executed, and she has been placed in a detention centre since Thursday, March 5. The police are currently handling the legal procedures for her extradition to Portugal to serve her sentence. Mariana Fonseca, who was working in the restaurant industry at the time, was convicted on April 27, 2021, for planning the murder of IT worker Diogo Gonçalves with her girlfriend Maria Malveiro, in order to claim a €70,000 insurance payout. Initially, she was acquitted due to lack of evidence of her involvement, but this decision was later overturned by the Évora Court of Appeal, which sentenced her to 23 years in prison. She fled the country before her arrest. On December 30, 2021, Maria Malveiro was found dead in her cell at the women's prison in Tires, Cascais.
A team sent by Portugal, including members of the Judicial Police and the Institute of Legal Medicine, is already working with Mozambican investigative authorities on the probe into the death of Portuguese national Pedro Ferraz, an official source said today.
Pedro Ferraz, aged 56, was found dead in a hotel in Maputo on Monday.
The team “will monitor the investigations into the death of businessman Pedro Ferraz Reis, in close cooperation with the judicial and police authorities”
First part of Investigação CM, broadcast on CMTV on 12 January 2025.
The Judicial Police (PJ) has arrested a man from Bangladesh who is suspected of sexually assaulting a woman from Lithuania in Lisbon.
