In a statement, the PJ clarified that the suspect is strongly indicated to be responsible for at least five urban fires, occurring on March 7, 8, and 10, June 4, and July 27, 2025, in collective garages of residential buildings and commercial establishments located in Matosinhos, Maia, and Porto.
According to the Judiciary, the fires are believed to have been caused by direct flame, within a context of drug consumption, resulting in damages not yet precisely determined but valued at several hundred thousand euros.
Investigators noted that the fires were created “as distractions and artifices for the commission of other illegal activities, namely theft and insurance fraud.”
The PJ further reported that the fires destroyed at least four cars, damaged others, and partially destroyed two collective garages of residential buildings, also endangering many other vehicles, high-value foreign possessions, as well as residents’ lives.
“The detained individual, a local resident with no prior criminal record, will be presented to the competent judicial authority for the initial judicial hearing and the application of appropriate coercive measures,” the statement concluded.
