[citation needed] Young Guterres was brought up by an Indonesian civilian until he was sent to attend the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic school in Becora, Dili.

[citation needed] In 1988, Indonesian military intelligence detained him for his alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate President Suharto, who was to visit Dili in October.

[citation needed] A counter-insurgency officer, Prabowo Subianto, recruited Guterres into Gardapaksi in 1994, an organisation that gave cheap loans to start small businesses, but also used borrowers as informants and in pro-military vigilante squads.

East Timor Governor José Abílio Osório Soares supported Gardapaksi, which developed a record of human rights abuse.

[citation needed] He is the primary suspect in the Liquiçá Church Massacre of April 1999, according to information gathered by the UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment.