Begolea Fernandes: 'Killer cannibal', 25, arrested at airport with package of 'suspicious meat' feared to be a victim's remains
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LISBON, PORTUGAL: Authorities arrested a suspected cannibal killer, who was wearing bloodied clothes and carrying a package of "suspicious meat" in his suitcase, which they believe belong to his alleged victim. Begolea Mendes Fernandes, 25, was detained at Lisbon Airport on Tuesday, February 28, after authorities became wary of his suspicious behavior
Fernandes arrived on a flight from Amsterdam and was on a stopover before he was to board a flight to Belo Horizonte in his homeland, Brazil. Authorities confiscated the suspicious bag. Detectives reportedly fear the meat found could be human and have sent it to a lab for a DNA analysis.
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A serious violent crime
Authorities reportedly believe Fernandes killed 21-year-old Alan Lopes in the Dutch capital on Sunday, February 26. Moreover, the Dutch police confirmed Lopes was a victim of a "serious violent crime." Portuguese press said investigators believed the 25-year-old killer committed cannibalism. A spokesman for the Portuguese Borders and Immigration Service said, "A 26-year-old man suspected of murder in the Netherlands was arrested at Lisbon Airport on Monday."
The spokesman continued, "He was wearing clothes with blood on them and had a package containing pieces of meat," per Daily Mail, adding, "He was held at the airport's border control after the authorities became suspicious about the legality of the Italian ID card he presented.He was initially detained over suspicions he was travelling on falsified documents before it was subsequently discovered he was suspected of committing a homicide in the Netherlands the day before."
Victim of cannibalism
Authorities found Lopes dead at his home he shared with his mother and two sisters. The 21-year-old was a victim of cannibalism, Jornal de Noticias reported. A spokesman for Dutch police said, "On Monday afternoon a 25-year-old man was arrested at the airport in Lisbon in collaboration with the Portuguese authorities and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee."
"The man is suspected of having been involved in the death of a 21-year-old man who was found in a home on Vegasstraat in North Amsterdam on the evening of Sunday February 26," the source said. Fernandes is currently in police custody at Santa Maria Hospital in the Portuguese capital. He is expected to be extradited to Holland.