A 51-year-old foreign national has been arrested on suspicion of arson at a bar terrace in Cascais on August 26.
In a statement released on Monday, September 1, the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) stated that the man allegedly set fire to the terrace furniture, resulting in its destruction. The fire also caused partial combustion of the door’s paint, shattered the establishment’s windows, and damaged equipment at another establishment.
Investigators emphasized that there was a real risk of the fire spreading to the nearby building and inside the two affected establishments. The incident could have caused more significant damage if it weren’t for the alarm system that alerted an employee, who then called the Cascais Volunteer Firefighters for a prompt and effective response.
Authorities discovered during the investigation that the suspect acted “motivated by a feeling of revenge against employees and the owner of the establishment, aiming for its destruction.”
The detainee has been brought before the competent judicial authority for a preliminary court hearing and has been placed in preventive custody.
