The Prosecutor's Office is investigating the involvement of organised crime and terrorism in the Tancos missing armaments case but the prime minister today said that the investigation is not looking at these two groups, claiming he has information from "national authorities."
Replying to a question posed by a student about the possible involvement of terrorists, Costa replied that, "This scenario fortunately does not arise because the national authorities, and in particular the Secretary General of the Internal Security System, met the Counter Terrorism Coordination Unit, which identified that the theft had nothing to do with organised crime, let alone terrorist activity."
The International Relations student wanted to know if the theft of military equipment from the Tancos arms depot, and the fact that there was still material that has not been recovered, such as ammunition, grenades and explosives, could not lead to Portugal being seen as, "a facilitating country for terrorist movements," bearing in mind that the UN already has warned that "mismanagement of national armories directly fuels organised crime and terrorism, through the illicit trade in arms and ammunition."
Costa assurance that this was not the case, conflicts with the aims of the investigation, of which he fully is aware, that has a remit to look into "suspected crimes of criminal association, international arms trafficking and international terrorism."
Judicial sources and the parliamentary opposition did not hide their surprise at Costa's contradiction.
The president of the Trade Union of Public Prosecutors, António Ventinhas, said that the PM can’t possibly know the answer to the student’s question as the investigation is not yet completed.
The Social Democratic Party opposition said it was strange that the prime minister made this declaration when he already has stated that he knows nothing about the thefts from the Tancos military base.
The PSD Vice-President, Carlos Peixoto, asked, "First, how can the prime minister know something that is a secret of justice? Second, how do you know something when you have always said that you know nothing?"
António Costa's office later said the PM's words were, "quotations from public statements by the Secretary General of the Internal Security System, an authority that he relies on for information."
The SSI Secretary-General, Helena Fazenda, made public statements at her last hearing in Parliament, but without directly referring to the type of crime or to the type of criminals that were being investigated. Fazenda said there were "several scenarios and lines of research that have to be explored," hopefully with terrorists and organised crime gangs high on her list of possible perpetrators.
