Yesterday it was news and today there are new developments. A man from Madeira has been charged with four counts of terrorism, two for incitement and two for glorifying such practices, the Public Prosecutor’s Office announced yesterday.
According to the Lisbon newspaper Jornal de Notícias, Luís became radicalized at the age of 21 in a prison in the United Kingdom. He was forced to return to Madeira, where he used social media to promote Islamic extremism and terrorist acts.
According to JN, the man praised Islamic fundamentalists and encouraged violence against “infidels.” He even posted a video showing the destruction of a statue of Our Lady and told the woman that, if he had the opportunity, he would climb to the Funchal Cathedral and replace the cross with an Islamic flag, JN also reports.
In response to the news published yesterday, the Islamic Association of Madeira stated that it learned, through the media, “of the accusation of a citizen born in Madeira for alleged crimes of terrorism,” adding that “to date, we have no information linking this person to our community or our Association.”
The statement sent to the newsroom goes further: “We want to state clearly: the Islam we profess and teach is an Islam of justice, peace, and moral responsibility. Our faith has no place for radicalism, violence, or extremism. On the contrary, it teaches respect for human life, for the law, and for the dignity of all people. Any criminal act is the individual responsibility of the person who commits it and must be dealt with by the competent authorities. It does not represent an entire religion or community.”
In conclusion, the association reiterates its commitment to the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, to democratic values, and to peaceful coexistence in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
On Wednesday, the defendant was subjected to the coercive measure of weekly reporting to the criminal police authority in the area of his residence, as well as a prohibition on leaving the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
He is also prohibited from making online publications on any platform or consuming Salafist-jihadist content using digital platforms or means, and he may not contact, by any means, even through an intermediary, radical preachers or other radicalized individuals.
The investigation of this case involved the collaboration of the National Counterterrorism Unit.