Counter-Terrorism in Portugal: The Terrorist Link in Gare do Oriente

By Cristina C. Giancchini

Portugal, the gate. A pattern is beginning to take shape – citizens from Islamic nations infiltrate the country and meet up in the same place. The national security forces have managed so far to catch the infiltrators and place them under arrest, but we wonder if they already know whom these suspects meet, why they meet where they meet and what exactly they hand over to their contact in Lisbon.

Context

On the 22rd of July 2016, a group of six North African men (whose nationality has not been disclosed – though the flight they travelled from has originated from Morocco and was heading to Algeria) tried to infiltrate Portugal by escaping the plane on the tarmac in Lisbon; on the 30th of July 2016, four Algerian men tried to escape passport control at the Airport in Lisbon; on the 12th of January 2017, two Algerian men fled the Airport in Lisbon – i.e. illegally infiltrated the country – and ended up in Gare do Oriente, where they were caught by the police more or less 12 hours later. On the 2nd of November 2017, two allegedly Syrian citizens fled in the morning a cargo ship – stemming from Morocco – docked in Setúbal (that in Al-Andalus times was called Shetubar) and were caught in Gare do Oriente at the end of the day.

The Selected Tactic

We received information that one of the 7 sleeper cells in Portugal is in Moscavide – 6 minutes away by car from the Gare of Oriente (or 21 minutes away by foot) – thus we must assume these men come with instructions to meet their contact either at Gare do Oriente or anywhere nearby. Once at the meeting point, the individuals deliver a package or a message to their contact and then apparently they are to wait and be caught.

The tactic of delivering instructions and then wait to be arrested is interesting: are they studying the time of response on the part of the Portuguese authorities? Are they taunting the Portuguese security forces? Are they studying exit points and thus assessing how attentive are the police to that particular Train Station? Are they keeping the security services focused on them while other Tangos do more or less the same job in the same area? Why is this location so important?

What's in Gare do Oriente?

Gare do Oriente - Wikipedia

Gare do Oriente is 6 kilometres away from the centre of Lisbon, and is situated in Parque das Nações (Lisbon's most north-eastern parish) where circa 21,000 people live. In this area, you have a Marina, neighbourhoods where the Nouveau Riches and foreigners acquire flats, a huge Mall, an entertainment and bar/restaurant area (located in the former exhibition grounds for Expo '98), the Lisbon Oceanarium, and of course the mentioned Lisbon Oriente Station (Gare do Oriente that connects Lisbon to the Northern Lines) which has a direct underground entrance to the Vasco da Gama Shopping Centre and the Lisbon Subway. Therefore, it is an important target/location.

Keeping an Eye on Parque das Nações

We also received intelligence that there are instructions being issued, by a certain country of interest, that some of her politically exposed people (PEP) are to buy flats in Parque das Nações. These PEP include Hizbullah and Al-Qaeda elements who have businesses in Africa and Portugal, and therefore acquired either the nationality or the residence permit of these countries. In addition to all this, it came to our inbox that Mozambicans are being advised to do the same: to buy homes in the same area and acquire the Portuguese nationality. Given that even Mozambique, thanks to former President Guebuza, maintains a promiscuous relationship with Syrians and the Lebanese – who, similarly to what is happening in Angola, are procreating with the local women – Portugal would do well to keep an eye on citizens stemming from such African countries.

Putting the Pieces Together

So what do we have so far? We have:

• North African men trying to infiltrate Portugal [the first group of 6 men tried to enter the territory in June 2016; a week later 4 Algerian men tried the same; then there was a third group of two Algerian men in January 2017 and now a fourth one with Syrian passports – but what if they are Algerian with fake documentation, like the 72 individuals who entered Portugal via Guinea Bissau with fake Turkish documents?],
• Three groups arriving through the airport [the first two failed, the third succeeded in going beyond the premises],
• The fourth group arriving by a cargo ship that docked in Setúbal, and managed to travel all the way to Parque das Nações in Lisbon [between 46.7Km and 59.6Km of distance depending on the route chosen], 
• Groups 3 and 4 succeeding in getting to Gare do Oriente,
• Groups 3 and 4 made contact and waited to be caught by the authorities,
• Seven Sleeper Cells in Portugal – Note: reference to Seven Sleepers [a group of young men who hid in a cave and emerged alive 200 years later]
• Who is the accomplice that helps people who arriving today, immediately move around the territory so easily?

Who is the Portuguese receptor of the packages/message? We have been leaving breadcrumbs that are leading you somewhere. Follow them. 

[The views expressed in this publication are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Dissecting Society]