The young man who fired at kebab house owner Mustapha Kartal in Lisbon on Bank Holiday Monday (April 25) has finally handed himself in after footage of the attack went viral.
The youth is understood to have presented himself to the Public Ministry, in the company of his lawyer.
He was released after interrogation on the understanding that he did not pose a flight risk, say reports.
National tabloid Correio da Manhã explains today that he may have to “respond” to the crime of attempted murder, but the fact that he has owned up to the incident will be taken into account.
Meantime, Lisbon newspaper O Corvo has interviewed the brave Kurdish businessman whose fight to save his business from dozens of youths touched the hearts of the nation (click here).
Footage of Kartal desperately trying to stave off attack, wielding a katana-shaped meat knife, went viral – with at least one paper praising his “fighting Kurdish spirit”.
But the truth, writes O Corvo, is that Kartal has been traumatised to the point where he “smokes in order not to cry”, and lives in fear of reprisals.
“The marks of the episode are still visible on his face and hands”, explains the paper. “The Turk of Kurdish origins who became known for defending his establishment with a kebab knife on April 25 has wounds on his hands, two deep cuts to his head and one on his hands”.
The worst of the attack – which Kartal claims came totally out of the blue – is that despite the street near Caís de Sodré having “lots of people” in it at the time, not one came to his defence. “They just watched”, Kartal told O Corvo.
In the end it was security guards from the disco where the youths had been all night who came to the man’s aid.
As a result of the video footage that went viral, Palácio de Kebab’s Facebook page has had lots of comments, with people posting 5-star classifications and praising Kartal for being a hero.
Nonetheless, he is emotional and exhausted, and says he just wants to go back to Turkey for a few weeks, to see his wife and children and “get his head back together”.
In Lisbon since 2012, and paying taxes, social security and a monthly shop rental of €800, he has still not managed to obtain Portuguese residency, which means he faces “huge difficulties” every time he tries to re-enter the country from Turkey.
Thus for now, he “smokes so as not to cry”, he told the paper.
A petition calling for justice for Mustapha Kartal is currently available for signature on the Petição Pública site: http://peticaopublica.com/pview.aspx?pi=PT80875
