Despite enhanced security at the many public New Year’s Eve celebrations in Portugal’s main cities, the authorities say there is no specific threat.
Portugal is on level four of a five point scale of threat, so policing will be visible in many areas of the major Portuguese cities with police wearing bulletproof vests and carrying machine guns.
The Public Security Police want to be conspicuous at the main events and the GNR also will be on duty to ensure public safety but in no more than usual numbers.
Everyone involved insists that there is no reason for alarm, since there is nothing concrete that suggests an imminent attack in Portugal despite social media commentaries suggesting that there is.
Belgian and Austrian security forces have reacted to the arrest in Belgium of two suspected of plotting a New Year’s attack in the Belgian capital and have cancelled the fireworks party in the capital.
The Austrians had a specific tip-off and have raised its alert level, as have many European countries including Portugal. Paris has called off an annual fireworks display on the Champs-Élysées and London increased the numbers of firearms officers on the streets. All have in mind the November attacks in Paris and 11,000 police, soldiers and firefighters will patrol the French capital.
Even Russia is on alert with Moscow’s Red Square, traditionally a place where people gather to ring in the new year, closed off for the night.
“It’s no secret that Moscow is one of the choice targets for terrorists,” the Moscow mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said recently.
A source at Portugal's National Counter Terrorism Unit insists that there is no specific evidence to indicate the preparation of any attack in Portugal.
The Public Security Police confirmed reinforcements, "in the current context of European and global security, particularly in terms of PSP being seen in public places and at most critical infrastructure points."
