Croatian police have arrested nine soccer fans who were sought on European warrants for their involvement in deadly violence last month in Greece, as reported by state television station HRT. Greece has issued arrest warrants for 10 fans of Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb soccer club, but one of them still remains at large. The Croatian Justice Ministry, informed by the Croatian police, confirmed the existence of the warrants in a statement.
The fans, who belong to the Bad Blue Boys fan group, are suspected of participating in the August violence in Athens that resulted in the death of one person. In relation to this incident, numerous Croatian soccer fans have already been detained in Greece. The violence led to the cancellation of a Champions League qualifier between Dinamo Zagreb and AEK Athens, and amateur video footage showed a group of youths armed with bats and iron bars running past the stadium while flares and firebombs were being detonated. Ten individuals were injured in the incident.