Five 'flare-throwers' end up in prison after riots at Croatia-Czech Republic match, youngest is 19

Investigating judges of the county courts in Split and Šibenik accepted the proposals of the county state attorney's offices and ordered pre-trial detention for five Croatian nationals suspected of committing the criminal offense of causing a riot at a football stadium in the French city of Saint-Étienne during the football match between the national teams of the Czech Republic and Croatia, it was announced on Monday evening on the websites of the county state attorney's offices, reports the Patria news agency.

All five were questioned and sent to pre-trial detention due to reasonable suspicion that they committed the criminal offense of causing a riot under Article 324, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Criminal Code.

In Split, four ended up in pre-trial detention, and one in Šibenik.

Among those detained in Split, one was born in 1991, one in 1997, two in 1993, and the suspect from Šibenik in 1988.

The statement from the Split State Attorney's Office states that there is reasonable suspicion that the suspects, on June 17, 2016, around 6:00 PM, at the Geoffroy Guichard football stadium in the French city of Saint-Étienne, during the match between the national teams of the Czech Republic and Croatia, in the 86th minute (when the match was temporarily interrupted due to pyrotechnic devices being thrown onto the pitch by as yet unknown persons), participated in causing a riot and physical attacks on other fans.

While authorized employees of the security-fire service were removing lit pyrotechnic devices from the pitch area, as well as a "cannon shot" that exploded, causing a security-firefighter to be thrown onto the pitch, it is reasonably suspected that the suspects, from a section of the stands where mostly persons with Croatian fan insignia were located, together with a larger group of unknown fans, began causing a riot by physically attacking other fans who were on the same stand.

The suspects pushed and hit other persons on various parts of the body and, through gestures, incited the crowd to violence and called for further fighting, after which they fled the scene, the statement says.

Furthermore, it is added that the State Attorney's Office submitted a proposal to the investigating judge of the County Court in Split to order pre-trial detention against the suspects due to the risk of repeating the criminal offense (Article 123, paragraph 1, point 3 of the Criminal Procedure Act).

The investigating judge accepted the proposal and ordered pre-trial detention with the possibility of bail, which upon payment can replace pre-trial detention, as well as the imposition of precautionary measures under Article 98, paragraph 2 of the Criminal Procedure Act, namely a ban on attending football matches of both football clubs in Croatia and the national football team, in such a way that during the playing of these matches they must report to the competent police stations.

Against part of the decision replacing pre-trial detention with bail, the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Split will file an appeal, the announcement states.

In its statement, the County State Attorney's Office in Šibenik states that a Croatian citizen (born 1988) was brought in due to reasonable suspicion of committing the same criminal offense of causing a riot and that pre-trial detention was ordered due to the risk of repeating the criminal offense.

Earlier, the Police Directorate stated that they had processed a significant number of citizen reports, photos, and video recordings from the match, and that "more than 30 persons have been preliminarily singled out, a certain number of whom can be directly linked to participation in unlawful behavior at the stadium in Saint-Étienne."

(Index)