Portugal: 23 people charged in theft at national armoury

LISBON, Portugal – Portuguese prosecutors are bringing charges against 23 people, including a former defence minister, after a two-year investigation into the theft of weapons from the national armoury.

A statement Thursday from the attorney general’s office says a soldier is accused of providing inside information about the armoury to eight others who carried out the 2017 break-in by cutting through a perimeter fence and smashing warehouse locks.

Officials later conceded the armoury’s electronic surveillance system was obsolete and its security procedures lax.

A further 14 people, including former Defence Minister Jose Azeredo Lopes, are accused of malfeasance and conduct that led to a denial of justice in relation to the mysterious reappearance of the weaponry in a nearby field four months later.

The statement says the weaponry was valued at 35,000 euros ($38,000).