A ‘mega police operation’ mounted by the PJ’s counter-terrorism unit has finally rounded up the men responsible for the mayhem unleashed on a Sunday in February 2016 in which a father of two was fatally shot as he drove his family to a birthday party (click here).
The six men, all from the Sintra area near Lisbon, are due to appear in court on Tuesday.
Initially reported to have numbered seven, the six are all known for violent crimes, reports Correio da Manhã.
Three were already in jail: two for other incidents, and one - captured in UK - for this one.
The remaining three were “caught this morning”, says the paper, bringing closure finally to a Bloody Sunday that brought terror to the A16 between Sintra and Cascais.
For now, CM explains the men will be charged three separate assaults on armoured security vehicles in and around the capital, carjackings and the murder of local businessman and family man João Carlos Silva.
As we explained in our original report, Silva was hit in the femoral artery when the men were running amok on the A16 after crashing their getaway car from a botched assault.
Shooting wildly at passing cars, trying to get one to stop, a bullet pierced the door of Silva’s Mercedes, wounding him fatally.
Despite acute and relentless blood-loss, the 49-year-old continued driving to the next motorway turnstyle, thus ensuring that his wife and daughter escaped harm.