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Portuguese authorities arrested six people linked to a far-right group and seized explosive material and several firearms, police said on Tuesday.
The detainees are believed to belong to the so-called Movimento Armilar Lusitano (MAL), which sought to establish itself as a political movement supported by an armed militia, according to a police statement.
They are suspected of crimes related to terrorist groups and activities, discrimination and incitement to hatred and violence and possession of prohibited weapons, police added.
Authorities seized several explosives, firearms — some built with 3D printers — and rounds of ammunition and knives in the operation, police said in a statement.
“The quality and diversity of what we seized was surprising,” Manuela Santos, the director of the National Counter-Terrorism Unit (UNCT) of the Judicial Police, told journalists at a press conference.
Among the six detainees is a member of the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP), the country’s national civil police force, while others reportedly have links to private security groups.
“They are people from many backgrounds,” Santos said, saying they were united by “discrimination based on gender identity, race and creed.”
A video distributed by police showed neo-Nazi books, propaganda and 3D printers used to make weapons or modify guns so that they can fire lethal ammunition.
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