site.btaFootball Fan Arrested for Wounding Two Police Officers

Sofia, April 22 (BTA) - A fan of the Levski football club has been arrested in connection with the wounding of two police officers during an April 18 match against CSKA, Sofia City Prosecutor Emilia Roussinova and Sofia Directorate of Interior Director Ivailo Ivanov told a news briefing on Sunday. The 25-year-old suspect has no police record for past offences.

One of the wounded officers sustained serious injuries to her face, including one of her eyes. The other officer, who is a man, has minor injuries and has been released from hospital. Asked by a journalist whether the eye of the female officer will be all right, Ivanov said one more surgical operation is planned, and the condition of the patient's vision will be diagnosed accurately between three and six months from now.

The suspect is in 72-hour custody until Monday, when the supervising prosecutor will request his indefinite detention, Roussinova said. He has been charged with "serious bodily injury of more than one officer of the Ministry of Interior, and hooliganism." On conviction, he may receive a prison sentence of between five and 15 years.

The Sofia Directorate of Interior has questioned 64 witnesses in the case, including football fans and relatives of the suspect. Forty fans were arrested immediately after the match, Ivanov said. According to him, the suspect was identified already on Friday afternoon. At first, he went into hiding, but on Saturday he turned himself in, accompanied by a lawyer, and made a complete confession. His first words were that he was sorry for what he did. He said he took the firecracker from someone else and threw it towards the running track.

Ivanov said one of the main measures to avoid such incidents is to identify those who enter stadiums and the seats they use. Next Wednesday, the Vassil Levski National Stadium in Sofia will be equipped with new surveillance cameras and an optical fibre network. This is the first result of a working meeting held between the Interior Ministry, the Sports Ministry, the Bulgarian Football Union, and members of Parliament. "We are starting from the National Stadium, and later we will enhance the security conditions in all other stadiums in Bulgaria," Ivanov vowed.

His deputy Anton Zlatanov explained that elsewhere in Europe, anyone who attempts to smuggle pyrotechnic means or alcohol into a stadium is banned from attending games. In Bulgaria, the procedure is cumbersome, and the rules should be changed.