Portuguesse education minister attack with a knife to his head on his way to his hotel in Rio, Attacker could face 10 years imprisonment for robbery

Portugal's Minister of Education was mugged at knifepoint as he headed back to his hotel from the Olympic cycling road race.

Tiago Brandao Rodrigues, 39, was stopped by a man brandishing a blade near his hotel in Ipanema yesterday afternoon.

Rodrigues and his aide, Rita Roque, were forced to hand over cash and mobile phones.


The mugger fled after taking their valuables but was intercepted by locals, who held him until police arrived and reunited the visiting politician and his adviser with their belongings.It is thought an accomplice managed to get away.

Ms Roque, who described the weapon the mugger used as a 'domestic knife', admitted: 'It was a bit of a fright but we're both okay.'

She said Mr Rodrigues, a biochemistry graduate who was elected to the Portuguese Parliament last year, would be sticking to his agenda and watching fellow countryman Joao Sousa play tennis before attending today's football match between Portugal and Honduras.

Police in Brazil confirmed a 26-year-old, Marcio Luiz Brandao, had been arrested and charged with robbery and faces up to 10 years in jail if convicted.Local reports said he had tried to bribe the officers who arrested him by offering them 5,000 reals (£1,200) to avoid being taken into custody.

Brandao was locked up in a police station last night and was transferred to Rio's notorious Bangu prison today.

He was described as being well-known to police and had been on parole for the past year after serving time for drugs trafficking.

His wife Lidiane Aguiar, told reporters: 'He was desperate because he couldn't manage to find work.

'We are living in a rented property and our situation is very difficult.'

Mr Rodrigues was the official Olympic attache for the Portuguese Mission to the London 2012 Olympics.

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