A British man has been stabbed to death in the woods in Portugal after a fight broke out among friends who were said to be playing the twisted “Blue Whale Challenge” suicide game, which has been linked to numerous worldwide deaths.
Local police discovered the body of the 35-year-old victim in a remote area near the town of Pedrógão Grande Sunday morning, according to The London Evening Standard. He has not been publicly identified.
A 26-year-old man, also described as a British national in local reports, has turned himself into the authorities and allegedly confessed to the deadly stabbing, the outlet said, citing local reports.
“He was accompanied by two other people who had witnessed the incident,” a National Republican Guard source reportedly said.
Footage published by Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha showed officers removing the victim’s body covered with a sheet on a stretcher.
National Republican Guard officers are seen removing the body of a 35-year-old British man who had been stabbed in the woods in Portugal over the weekend. Correio da Manhã
The knife allegedly used in the slaying was reportedly recovered in the woods not far from the spot where the body was found.
An autopsy was expected to be performed Monday in the city of Coimbra.
Detectives with Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria spent Sunday interviewing three men and two women, including the prime suspect in the killing.
They are believed to be living not far from the crime scene as part of a commune mostly made up of British and Dutch expats.
The group of friends were believed to have attended a party in the remote area Saturday, before heading into the woods.
The foreigners were said to have frequently hosted gatherings and played the “Blue Whale” game, reported the Portuguese news outlet SIC.
The stabbing took place near the town of Pedrógão Grande, after a group of friends had a fight while allegedly playing the “Blue Whale Challenge” suicide game. Liliana – stock.adobe.com
The sick online challenge was alleged to have originated in Russia in late 2015 and was aimed at teenagers.
Those who accept the challenge are expected to complete 50 increasingly difficult and dangerous tasks in 50 days involving self-harm — with the final task requiring players to kill themselves.
Hundreds of deaths around the world have been linked to the macabre “Blue Whale” phenomenon, and the architects of the sick challenge have been prosecuted in Russia.
Source link: https://nypost.com/2023/09/25/portugal-stabbing-death-tied-to-twisted-blue-whale-suicide-game/