Higher degrees of threat involve ‘elevated’, ‘immediate’ and ‘Z’
With the decision by Portugal’s internal security services to increase the country’s terror threat level, the truth is that a ‘significant risk’ (the level the country has been on since last night) is still only midway on the risk table.
Above the level of ‘significant’ are ‘elevated’, ‘immediate’ and ‘Z’ – signifying ‘real risk’ (one that is happening).
Concerns that SSI will have to increase the country’s threat level again are low. This has all been done as a form of ‘caution’, “for reasons eminently preventative”, said the statement last night, stressing that “there have not been any indications that point to the development of terrorist actions in Portugal”. The decision comes solely as a result of “various acts of terror that have occurred in Europe – with deaths in Belgium and France” in the wake of the barbarous attacks on October 7 by Hamas terrorists against Israeli settlements and civilians.
“Ahead of SSI’s decision, authorities had already adopted measures of security in places linked to Israel and judaism”, recalls Correio da Manhã.
SSI will now accompany “the evolution of the security situation, adopting in a flexible and pragmatic way measures of security, active and passive, that comes to be considered necessary”.
Addressing the ‘history’ in terms of terrorist threats in Portugal, the paper accepts this country is much more a ‘retreat’ for Islamic fundamentalists than a target. Portugal has been used in the past as a ‘refuge for cells, for recruitment and even financing of terrorism’, says the paper – with PJ criminal police having the exclusive competence when it comes to investigation in this area.
Coincidentally, two brothers accused of being former members of Islamic terror group DAESH in Syria are currently on trial in Portugal, having arrived here years ago, supposedly as refugees.
