Lisbon was plunged into chaos earlier this month when CCTV cameras on the capital’s massive 25 de Abril access bridge showed a man dropping a “suspect package” onto the verge before driving north towards Almada at high speed.
Dozens of witnesses called 112 and bomb squad police were scrambled as for four hours the bridge was in lockdown.
Now, weeks after the event, investigators have discovered the “man” was none other than a PSP policeman, and the “suspect package” which had been quickly confirmed as a large bag of clothes had been found “in the middle of the road”.
Thus the images that showed the man clearly dropping the package on the side of the bridge did not tell the full story.
The man had simply got out of his car to remove the bag to safety, Correio da Manhã reports today.
As the PSP is described as not wanting to comment, the truth behind the chaos that gripped the capital on a rush-hour evening is understood to have corroboration from a number of sources.
It may not have taken investigators long to discover it, as the car’s number plate was clearly identified in the video images which led investigators to discover the car belonged to one of their own.
CM concludes that “if it is proved that there was intention to cause alarm through the simulation of the existence of a bomb, then prosecution could follow”.
However, the story coming out today would suggest it was simply a case of much ado about nothing.
