Lost in translation: Tourist's 'pomegranate' order leads to bomb scare in restaurant

The tourist was taken to a local police station for questioning over the pomegranate gaffe. (Representational)

A seemingly innocent quest for fruit juice turned into a harrowing bomb scare after a tourist's translation mishap sent shockwaves through a Lisbon restaurant. The situation unfolded when a 36-year-old Russian speaker from Azerbaijan, whose name remains undisclosed, attempted to order a simple pomegranate juice at a local eatery. What should have been a routine order, however, quickly spiralled into a high-stakes drama.

According to local media reports, the calamity began when the bewildered traveller, struggling with the language barrier, relied on a translation app to bridge the gap. In his quest to convey the word for "pomegranate" in Portuguese, the unfortunate visitor inadvertently used an application that mistook it for "grenade”.

Unaware of the calamity about to unfold, he jotted down the translation on a napkin and handed it to a waiter. Little did he know, this innocent gesture would unleash panic in the establishment. The unsuspecting server, upon seeing the word "grenade," immediately perceived it as a bomb threat and promptly alerted the police.

Dramatic footage from local media captured the scene as five armed officers approached the hapless tourist, who lay prone on the ground, mirroring a scene from a geopolitical thriller. He was swiftly handcuffed and taken into custody.

The tourist found himself transported to a local police station for intense questioning, all stemming from the confusion triggered by this unintentional gaffe. Authorities conducted a thorough search of his hotel room and scoured the restaurant for any signs of danger.

The Lisbon police expanded their investigation, delving into their database and consulting the country's counterterrorism unit, only to find no traces of any real threat. Interestingly, this incident comes against the backdrop of Portugal raising its terror threat level from "moderate" to "significant" in October, following the terror incidents in Belgium in the wake of the Hamas-Israel war.

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One plausible explanation is the subtle similarity between the Russian words for "pomegranate" and "grenade," which translate to "granat" and "granata," respectively. This delicate distinction may have been lost in translation, leading the application to inadvertently replace "pomegranate" with "grenade."