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According to the Portuguese Minister of Internal Affairs, José Luís Carneiro, the attack on the Ismaelita Center in Lisbon was “an isolated act” and that there was no sign of the attacker, an Afghan man who had arrived in Portugal a year ago after having achieved the status refugee in Greece.
The Portuguese Minister of Internal Administration, José Luís Carneiro, declared on Tuesday, a few hours after the attack on the Ismaelita Center in Lisbon that fatally killed two people and wounded three others, that it was not a concerted terrorist attack, but of an “isolated act”.
“Everything leads to the belief that this is an isolated act, however, the circumstances and motivations are being motivated by the Judiciary Police”, said the minister.
The man who fatally stabbed two women aged 20 and 40 attended the Ismaelita Center in Lisbon, is 38 years old and arrived in Portugal about a year ago, benefiting from international protection status after arriving in Greece as a refugee. The man is a widower with three minor children, and has never raised suspicions at the Muslim centre. The man would have medical follow-up and would have already tried to move to Germany, without success.
According to the Portuguese minister, this man would lead “a very peaceful life”, being supported by the Ismaili community.
“From the information we have, he benefited from the support of the Ismaili community, with regard to knowledge of languages, food care, care for younger children. Everyone was in deep dismay at the fact that, apparently, he was a citizen with an easy relationship with all those who lived the life of this community”, underlined the minister.
The Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, also commented on this case, reiterating that it is an isolated case and that “it is not worth generalizing because it is unfair and hasty”.