A former Brazilian military police officer who was convicted of multiple murders and sentenced to over 200 years in prison was arrested in New Hampshire, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Antônio José de Abreu Vidal Filho, 29, became the subject of an active Interpol Red Notice. In June, he was convicted of 11 murders and sentenced to nearly 276 years in prison by a criminal court in Ceara, Brazil.
Vidal was convicted, along with three other Brazilian military police officers, of the 11 murder charges, as well as charges of attempted murder and physical and mental torture. The crimes occurred in November 2015. The crimes became known as the “Curio Massacre” after the name of the neighborhood in Fortaleza, Brazil, where they occurred.
Former Brazilian military police officer convicted in 2015 deaths arrested in New Hampshire. https://t.co/mLVuVwzfE8 pic.twitter.com/eD5gZcNPlZ
— Boston.com (@BostonDotCom) August 16, 2023
Officers with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations apprehended Vidal in Rye, New Hampshire. He will remain in custody pending a hearing before a federal immigration judge.
According to the Associated Press, no details have been released on how Vidal escaped Brazil, was tracked to New Hampshire, or what he was doing in the U.S.
“We are proud to have taken this notorious criminal, convicted in participating in multiple heinous murders in Brazil, off our streets,” ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons said In a statement. “The dedication of ERO Boston officers has once again made our communities safer and more secure with this arrest.”
#Fugitives #ImmigrationEnforcemnent #CurioMassacre .@EROBoston officers nab former military police officer in New Hampshire who was convicted in notorious Brazilian massacre. Details here: https://t.co/fpgxXvgL6R pic.twitter.com/3xF6va5vKI
— ERO Boston (@EROBoston) August 16, 2023
This week, The Center Square reported that ICE also arrested an MS-13 gang member on El Salvador’s Top 100 list. Juan Carlos Portillo, 29, a fugitive from El Salvador, was reportedly wanted for aggravated kidnapping, attempted aggravated homicide, aggravated extortion, terrorist organization, deprivation of liberty and aggravated homicide. A warrant has been issued for his arrest in his country since 2014. Agents working at ERO New Orleans’ Birmingham, Alabama sub-office arrested Portillo in Chelsea, Alabama.
“This MS-13 gang member blatantly ignored laws both in his home country and here in the United States and this arrest sends a message that we will not allow our communities to be safe havens for violent criminals,” ERO New Orleans Field Office Director Mellissa Harper said. “By apprehending and removing dangerous individuals like Portillo who are part of transnational criminal organizations, ERO officers are making our communities safer.”
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