The twin sons of Iraq's ambassador to Portugal were arrested on suspicion of carrying out a brutal assault on a 15-year-old boy in Ponte de Sor in Portugal on 17 August. However, authorities have said that the two teenagers could be protected from prosecution due to diplomatic immunity laws.

The victim of the attack, named as Ruben, was put in a coma as a result of the attack. He is believed to be fighting for his life after the ambassador's sons violently beat him and has had reconstructive surgery on his face due to being disfigured from the attack.

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According to the Journal de Noticias, Ruben is suffering from head injuries. The attack took place after an altercation at a bar in Ponte de Sor and police are undertaking investigations to find out exactly what happened.

Media reports have suggested that one of the ambassador's sons ran Ruben over with a car registered to the Iraqi embassy in Portugal. The other son has been accused of punching and kicking him while he was on the ground.

Algarve Daily News has reported that witnesses alerted the police about the two brothers after they saw the car's diplomatic license plates. The victim was airlifted to a hospital in Libson where he remains in a critical condition, however, the twin brothers were released from jail one day later.

Diplomatic immunity laws state that since the two boys have diplomatic passports, they are exempt from prosecution. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Lusa News Agency that "diplomatic actions may be considered" following the violent incident, which means that the Iraqi ambassador, Saad Mohammed Ridha, could be expelled from his position.

One of the 17-year-old sons was training to become a pilot at a nearby air base. The G Air Training Centre wrote on Facebook on 18 August that one of their students had been expelled following a bar brawl.

The Facebook post read: "The actions of the student are intolerable and damages the good name of the school and all its students and staff... according to the school's code of conduct, the expulsion process has been started for this student."