Hooligan warnings went unheeded

In the aftermath of the deadly riots on Monday evening by Croatian hooligans who descended on the Greek capital on the eve of Tuesday’s Champions League qualifier between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb, more than one source has told Kathimerini that from the electronic mail system of the Hellenic Police (ELAS), it seems that the officers of the regional services either read an order calling on the police services to take “necessary measures” at a delay, or did not read it at all.

However, this is not the only point that demonstrates the lack of central coordination and communication between the Greek police services as new evidence suggests that orders were delayed in being issued and that police officers who were on patrol were ordered to leave before completing their mission. The result was the fatal stabbing of 29-year-old AEK Athens supporter Michalis Katsouris.

Meanwhile a case was filed on Wednesday against a total of 105 people arrested for three felonies, including that of manslaughter.

However, it has not emerged which of the arrested dealt the fatal blow to Katsouris. This will be revealed by matching DNA from the detained individuals and evidence to genetic material from the 29-year-old’s body. Pocket knives, sticks with nails and other items were seized.

Among those arrested are two organized Panathinaikos fans, who have been accused in the past of involvement in riots, robberies etc. They have been accused of being associated with the Croatian hooligans, but police sources say that organized AEK fans were also up for a “battle.”

In addition to those arrested on Monday night, five Croatians were held in Igoumenitsa on Tuesday night, and a 19-year-old Croatian was apprehended at the Kakavia border crossing as he attempted to depart Greece on a coach bound for Tirana. All six were transferred to Athens and, along with the others arrested in connection with the case, appeared before a public prosecutor on Wednesday.

According to Citizen Protection Ministry sources, the inquiry into attribution of culpability is still ongoing, and 15 to 20 officers from the police will be interviewed as part of the investigation. In fact, Minister Giannis Oikonomou, Deputy Minister Kostas Katsafados and the chief of ELAS, Lieutenant General Lazaros Mavropoulos, visited ELAS Headquarters in Athens to get a firsthand account of what happened on Monday.