The arrest was confirmed by the PJ police who in a statement said the suspect “took advantage of knowing the woman, who he persuaded to accept a lift in his car, taking her against her will to an isolated spot where he beat and raped her.”
Then, the PJ elaborated, the victim was taken to another spot near the coast, where she was beaten with a weapon and the suspect attempted to drown her to prevent her from denouncing the crimes.
The incident reportedly happened during the early hours of the 1 November bank holiday, after a Halloween party.
Newspaper Correio da Manhã (CM) identified the suspect as a 27-year-old American sergeant nearing the end of his posting on the island, and the woman as a 27-year-old civilian who worked at the base.
The piece claimed the woman was raped twice, and only survived the ordeal after pretending to be dead in the water.
The sergeant was, according to CM, detained hours after the incident, after the woman emerged from the sea to seek help in a nearby establishment.