Portugal foreign minister, João Gomes Cravinho, said on Friday he was in contact with the British authorities about whether the man detained as a suspect for killing three people in Nottingham this week has Portuguese nationality.
“We found out recently, this morning, that apparently, the suspect has Portuguese nationality. We are investigating the matter but will be in close contact with the British authorities in this regard,” he told journalists after a meeting with British counterpart James Cleverly.
Cravinho added that “it is a horrific event” and took the “opportunity to offer our deepest condolences” to the victims.
The British press today identified, citing several sources, that the 31-year-old man arrested as a suspect in the killing of three people in Nottingham this week has Portuguese nationality.
Although the authorities have not yet identified the suspect, the British press says that the suspected killer is a former student at Nottingham University.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the parents, originally from Guinea-Bissau, worked on the island of Madeira and obtained Portuguese nationality in 2006.
The couple reportedly moved to the United Kingdom with their three children in 2007 and acquired resident status as European Union citizens.
Lusa has tried to obtain confirmation from the Portuguese ministry of foreign affairs and the British police, but has yet to receive a reply.
Neighbours in the village of Haverfordwest in west Wales describe an educated, hard-working family who attend a local evangelical church.
Nottingham police announced on Thursday that they had obtained a further 36 hours to question the suspect in the murder of three people and the wounding of three others.
“A team of dedicated detectives continue to question the suspect and build a robust picture of what happened that morning,” police explained.
The investigation is analysing video surveillance footage, forensic analysis, and eyewitness accounts and has conducted searches of several properties in the city.
Police believe the suspect attacked two 19-year-old Nottingham University students with a knife and killed another 65-year-old man before stealing his van.
He then attempted to run over three people on separate occasions, with one remaining hospitalised in a serious condition.
Police detained the suspect using a taser when the vehicle was stationary.
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