The man accused of terrorism for throwing a “cocktail molotov” against the March for Life goes to trial. The defense claims there was no intention of harming anyone. The DA accuses the defendant of 10 crimes of terrorist offences and other crimes.
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16/10/2026
by
Lusa
O case of the man accused of terrorism for having thrown a ‘cocktail molotov’ against the March for Life will proceed directly for trial, assured today the defense, insisting that there was never intention of hurting anyone.
“The opening of the instruction will not be required. It is hoped that the trial can be marked quickly”, said lawyer Ricardo Sá Fernandes in a statement, adding that the defense expects “a fair trial, in which it is clear, without any doubt, that there was never an intention to hurt or harm someone”.
The Public Prosecutor (MP) accused a 39-year-old man of 10 crimes of terrorist offences, nine of which in the attempted form, in an apparent contest with eight crimes of attempted murder, one of attempted firearms and another of detention of prohibited weapon, announced today the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (INNAP).
In question is the shooting by the defendant, on March 21, 2026, of a ‘cocktail molotov’ against the participants of the March for Life, a demonstration against abortion, in the vicinity of the Assembly of the Republic, in Lisbon, without causing injuries.
According to the DCIAP, the defendant “has a strong obsession with class division, adopting the Marxist-inspired rhetoric of exploitation and betrayal of the working class” and passed, “at least between 2021 and April 2026”, by “a process of ideological and operational radicalization” that culminated in the attack on marche for life protesters, which would fit in the “political spectrum of what he considered to be the conservative right hand, capitalism, the extreme right hand or fascism”.
The defense argued that the activist “does not believe that violence is a means to achieve any results” and that there is evidence in the process, including video surveillance images, that ‘cocktail molotov’ was not thrown “intentionally [...] against any people”.
The defendant was arrested in April by the Judiciary Police (JP) and has been waiting since then for the process to be held in custody.