Murder sparks crackdown on hooligans
Police raid fan clubs and associations of Thessaloniki teams, while alleged culprit charged
Signaling the government’s determination to crack down on hooligan violence after the murder of 19-year-old Alkis Kampanos this week in Thessaloniki, police Thursday raided fan clubs associated with the PAOK and Aris soccer teams in the northern port city.
The police investigation focused its attention on the PAOK Makedones club and on the association of PAOK fans in Stavroupoli.
Kathimerini understands that associations of organized PAOK fans in Evosmos, Ampelokipi and elsewhere were also raided.
Until late Thursday, there was no information from the police about the findings of the investigations. Reports, however, suggested that a large cache of confiscated items (helmets, switchblades, etc.) had been transferred to police forensic laboratories.
A day earlier, police also raided the Thyra 4 club of PAOK on Paleon Patron Germanou Street which was where, according to the investigation, the 23-year-old alleged perpetrator went with three other people immediately after the fatal attack on Kampanos.
Kathimerini also understands that law enforcement authorities have video footages at their disposal which shows the alleged perpetrator and the three others entering the club.
“The 23-year-old was so flustered that he got out of the car without pulling the handbrake,” an official at the Citizens’ Protection Ministry told Kathimerini.
The 23-year-old was charged Thursday with one count of homicide and two of attempted murder. He was given until Monday to prepare his defense.
In addition, he was sentenced to four years in prison over the items found in the association at Paleon Patron Germanou. These items included knives, wooden and metal bats, helmets and lead pipes. He claimed he was not a member of the association but police found keys for its door on him.
One of the two people who were injured in the attack told police they recognized the 23-year-old, saying he was holding a crowbar. In addition, one of the cars seen in the video of the attack belongs to the suspect.
The investigation is ongoing to find the other participants in the attack. It remained unclear whether it was the 23-year-old or one his accomplices that dealt the blow that killed Kampanos during the late-night attack.
