2 US Military Personnel Detained In Portugal For Assault, Theft

Two military personnel accompanying a U.S. aircraft carrier were detained in Lisbon, Portugal, on Monday on suspicion of assault and theft of a taxi driver, police said.

The two men, aged 21 and 23, were deployed on the aircraft carrier "USS Harry S. Truman," which was based in Lisbon since Saturday. The Polícia de Segurança Pública (Public Security Police or PSP) detained the men at around 2.00 a.m. Monday (9.00 p.m. EST Sunday) at Rua da Palma, Lisbon.

They were suspected of "assaulting and robbing the cell phone" of a taxi driver who transported them. Reports said the driver had to receive treatment from a hospital due to the assault.

The two men were later taken to the Tribunal de Instrução Criminal de Lisboa (Court of Criminal Investigation of Lisbon) at the Campus da Justiça (Campus of Justice) to present before a judge, a report on Cofina Media said. Judicial sources said the two suspects were accompanied by a representative of the U.S. embassy in Lisbon, a lawyer and a representative of the Portuguese Navy.​

The aircraft carrier and "USS Forrest Sherman"(escort ship), a destroyer, were at the Tagus River for a four-day rest stop during their mission. According to the U.S. Navy website, the aircraft carrier is capable of providing a wide range of mission capabilities like maritime security operations, crisis response, sea control, deterrence, expeditionary power projection, forward naval presence, counter-terrorism, information operations, and security cooperation.

The carrier was named after the 33rd president of the United States, Harry S. Truman. It was christened on Sept. 7, 1996, and launched Sept. 13 the same year. It was commissioned July 25, 1998. It has won eight Battle "E" awards in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2016.

It completed an on-time, 10-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia for maintenance and refurbishment of shipboard systems to prepare for future operations on July 21, 2017. It departed Norfolk for a routine deployment in support of National missions and maritime security on April 11, 2018. The ship is currently deployed to conduct routine operations and demonstrate the flexibility, mobility and power projection capability of the Navy’s globally deployed force in the U.S. 6th Fleet operations.

In an unrelated incident, a U.S. Navy warplane belonging to the aircraft career “USS Ronald Reagan” crashed into the sea northeast of the Philippines on Monday, according to ABC News. The two pilots on board the aircraft were safely rescued.

In a statement, the Navy’s 7th Fleet said the F/A-18 Hornet had a mechanical problem during Monday’s routine operations. Reports said the crash was under investigation.

According to the Navy, the pilots were immediately saved from the water by a rescue aircraft and were brought back the main ship. Both the pilots are reported to be in good condition currently. This was the second crash involving an aircraft from the “USS Ronald Reagan” in less than a month. An MH-60 Seahawk crashed shortly after takeoff mid-October, resulting in non-fatal injuries to a dozen sailors.