The two suspects, aged 19 and 20, were arrested during an operation conducted on Thursday to execute two arrest warrants and house searches.
During their initial court appearance, one of the suspects was prohibited from contacting the victim by any means, while the other was placed under house arrest with an electronic bracelet and barred from leaving the municipality.
In the investigation following the crime, the PSP concluded that three young men, near the Civic Center of Leiria, “delivered several blows using bladed weapons to another 17-year-old youth and immediately afterward stole a jacket, a mobile phone, and a crossbody bag from him.”
Several measures taken allowed PSP to identify two young men, the same ones who were arrested on Thursday.
The third suspect remains unidentified.
During the house searches, PSP seized clothing used in the crime, a machete, two knives, a balaclava, as well as 71.27 grams of marijuana, 80.98 grams of hashish, and various materials related to drug trafficking.
In April, a 17-year-old was stabbed at Colonel Jaime Filipe da Fonseca Municipal Park in Leiria and required hospitalization but was not in life-threatening condition.
In a statement, the PSP explained that the youth was injured with a knife in the armpit area but was not in life-threatening condition and was transported to Santo André Hospital.
During the investigation, measures were taken to collect evidence, one of the witnesses at the scene was interviewed, and “the city’s video surveillance system footage was preserved” to identify the perpetrator of the crime.
