A 13-year-old British boy died after his mother's ex-partner stabbed him in Portugal on Tuesday. The attacker then killed himself in a gas explosion that also injured the child's mother and a police officer. Authorities are investigating the incident in Casais, Tomar - about 90 minutes northeast of Lisbon - as a suspected murder-suicide following a domestic violence alert.
Authorities found the boy's mother, also British, bound and assaulted at the scene. Paramedics took her to hospital for treatment. Shrapnel from the explosion injured a member of the GNR police force.
The sequence unfolded after GNR officers responded to a domestic violence call around noon local time. The suspect had reportedly stabbed the boy's mother before barricading himself inside the house and attacking the teenager. When emergency services arrived, they detected a strong smell of gas. Moments later, an explosion occurred which local reports suggest the attacker deliberately provoked.
Criminal history and prior warnings
The alleged perpetrator had previously served a prison sentence for homicide. Authorities had flagged the family following domestic violence cases registered in both 2022 and 2023.
Both the boy and the suspect had multiple stab wounds. Emergency services declared both dead at the scene. The Polícia Judiciaria spokesman said: "The Polícia Judiciaria, through the Criminal Investigation Department of Leiria, is conducting an investigation to clarify the circumstances of two deaths that occurred this morning in the parish of Casais in Tomar. These are the deaths by stabbing of a 13-year-old boy and that of the presumed perpetrator, his mother's former partner, who herself was found by authorities with signs of having been bound and assaulted and has since been taken to the nearest hospital. Both the alleged assailant and the minor had multiple stab wounds. Despite vital signs still being detected, death was declared at the scene moments later. Following an alert about what appeared to be a domestic violence situation, the GNR police force was dispatched to the scene. Inside the residence, there was a strong smell of gas, which moments later resulted in an explosion that injured one of the GNR officers. The alleged perpetrator had already served a prison sentence for homicide, and the family had been flagged following domestic violence cases registered in 2022 and 2023."
A source from the Santarém Territorial Command told Lusa news agency the situation was a "homicide followed by suicide".
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
