It follows the previous experience of amnesty in 1979 or the pardon signed by the PM Aníbal Cavaco Silva for the fugitive Ramiro Moreira in 1991, right-wing member of the MDLP (Democratic Movement of Liberation of Portugal), sentenced to 20 years in prison for blood crimes.
[7][8] In the financial sphere, the main source of financing were bank robberies, as well as companies and vehicles for transporting valuables, which they called "expropriation" or "recoveries of funds".
The first deaths officially claimed by the organization took place in May 1980 and mainly resulted from confrontations with elements of the security forces, during bank robberies or during police rides.
[12] The group carried out another attack in February 1985 which involved detonating eight incendiary bombs under cars belonging to West Germany Air Force personnel assigned to a Portuguese airbase outside Beja.
[13] Later in 1986, the most well-known assassination of the Prison Services ‘General Manager, Gaspar Castelo-Branco — the only high-ranking official in the State hierarchy to be killed.
However, some months later, following an escape by a group of ten defendants from the Lisbon Penitentiary, in September 1985, conditions were worsened, with limited circulation, an obligation to stay in cells and restrictions on communication abroad.
[14] Until the organization's dissolution, the victims of the FP-25's "executions" are mostly small businessmen and administrators — typically associated with companies in difficult economic situation, sometimes also with serious labor disputes or collective dismissal processes.
[17] In terms of financing actions, the theft, in 1984, of 108,000,000 escudos (approximately €500,000, a clearly large amount at the time) of a van transporting valuable from the Bank of Portugal, right in the center of Lisbon.
With them Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, one of the leaders of the April revolution, was sentenced to 15 years, later raised to 17 by Supreme Court.
President Mario Soares pushed parliament, whose left wing majority was supported by the socialist PS and the communist party PCP, to approve an amnesty.
The most known, attacks are those carried out in 1980 against Chilean consulate, in 1981 against Banco do Brasil,[22] British Airways and Royal British Club, also in 1981 against Air France and Lufthansa, Notable attacks included the 1984 firing of four mortar rounds at the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon and the 1985 bombing of six NATO ships, including the USS Richard E. Byrd, also in Lisbon.
[23] On 19 June, as part of the largest police operation ever to occur in Portugal, with the code name Orion, more than 64 terrorists were arrested and, a day later, their main leaders, including Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho.
[25] In the following years, most of the militants who were still on the run, were either arrested or sought refuge abroad — namely in Mozambique — a fact that would dictate the progressive dissolution of the organization until its complete disappearance around 1991.
President Mário Soares wanted to preserve Otelo as a symbol of Carnation Revolution and felt legitimated to politically resolve an issue that was related to justice.
At 3 March 1996, the parliament, after a long and very heated discussion, approved a global amnesty to FP25 convicts for crimes of terrorist and attack to democracy.