Harrowing testimonies of hooligan riots
Death of fan in Monday night clashes caused by a single knife wound to the arm, coroner says
Graphic descriptions are included in the testimonies of police officers and eyewitnesses about the events leading up to the deadly clashes that unfolded on Monday night in the Greek capital on the eve of the Champions League qualifier between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb.
The riots between Croatian hooligans and AEK fans led to the death of 29-year-old Michalis Katsouris.
“We approached on foot and around the perimeter of the stadium, there were about 200 people causing damage. Most of them were carrying clubs and had their faces covered,” a police officer’s statement said.
Another man who was among the three people injured in the mayhem said that one of the hooligans attacked him unprovoked. “They hit me with a bottle on the head and then several of them started hitting me with their hands,” he said.
A coroner said on Thursday that Katsouris’ death was caused by a single knife wound to his forearm, which severed an artery and blood vessels.
A case has been filed against 105 people arrested for three felonies, including that of manslaughter.
Video footage emerged on Thursday showing hooligans walking the streets from the Perissos and Irini train stations to the stadium with iron bars and helmets.
The case file also includes the testimonies of Katsouris’ brother and three others wounded in the clashes around the AEK stadium.
“At 4 a.m. my cousin called me and said that my brother, Michalis, had been seriously injured, without knowing how it happened. After a few minutes he called me again and told me that he had probably died. I was out of Attica, so I arrived at the hospital at 8 to 10 a.m.,” he said.
Meanwhile Katsouris’ shocked father was taken to hospital on Thursday and is being treated at the cardiology clinic. He will remain under observation for preventive reasons. On Wednesday evening, the mother of the victim was discharged from the hospital after being admitted with symptoms of a heart attack.
On Thursday, a group of people attacked a cafeteria behind the Panathinaikos stadium on Alexandras Avenue, allegedly owned by, among others, a Panathinaikos fan detained for involvement in the riots.
The investigation of the murder through DNA testing is ongoing as is the police internal probe.
